How Young Is Too Young to Face Life in Prison?

[Jojo]

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/young-child-face-life-sentence-jordan-brown-murder/story?id=10065643

Should a young child face a life sentence?

[lilbunnygirl]

I do not think he should be tried as an adult. There's no way an 11 year old can grasp the magnitude of what he did. What purpose is spending 70 years in prison going to serve him?

I think there's a big difference between something like this & a case from the 80s where two 16 year olds premeditatedly tortured, raped & murdered an 11 year old girl. Those boys should have been tried and sentenced as adults. This kid? No.

[emilade]

Oh man. What a sad, sad situation.

[bettercowpatty]

So sad... I would think no, but I guess there is always that chance that he's some sort of serial killer in the making. If he is found guilty, he definitely needs some serious therapy and maybe he will be able to overcome whatever demons he has. And who knows - maybe this lady was abusive towards him, etc.

Also, at 11, I think 99% of kids know that killing someone is wrong.

[Jojo]

It is sad. I cried watching the dad this morning. I guess being a mom has turned me into this big sap. I can't imagine going through this and making it out alive and normal in the end.

[bella_bella]

I think that at 11 he knew what he was doing, but not how much of an impact it would have.
It's a sad situation for sure. Should he be tried as an adult and given life? I don't think so....but he shouldn't be let off just because he's 11....there should be some serious repercussion.

[MomHenry918]

This kind of thing just disgusts me. What father gives his son a GUN at that age...much less lets the kid have access to it?

I don't agree that he needs life in prison. I do think he needs to spend some time in a juvenile facility so he can get some much-needed psychiatric help, though. So sad....

[lilbunnygirl]

This kind of thing just disgusts me. What father gives his son a GUN at that age...much less lets the kid have access to it?

I don't agree that he needs life in prison. I do think he needs to spend some time in a juvenile facility so he can get some much-needed psychiatric help, though. So sad....

I agree with this. At 11, of course one knows it is wrong to kill someone. But at 11, how much can you understand the long-term consequences of your actions? I can not imagine having to suffer now because of something I did when I was 11, no matter how bad. To quote Dennis Hopper in Flashback "I was a kid, I thought forever was three days, I didn't know it meant the REST OF MY LIFE"

I think with a child that young, some of the blame must be placed on the parents. I think both father & son need a great deal of help and counseling. I do not think putting a child in prison for life is going to help anyone.

[emilade]

I agree that the life sentence would be too harsh. But yeah... at 11, he does know that killing is wrong. And knows that if you shoot at a woman, there's a good chance it'll kill her.

And if he doesn't know these things, there's a good chance there's some big mental issues coming into play here.

[Jane99]

I would think that a shorter sentence and a mental evaluation during that stay would be enough. If it turned out he had a mental illness or they felt that he could possibly be a serial killer, then perhaps they could release him on certain conditions?

I think life, for an 11 year old, is too harsh. Especially since it was not premeditated.

[Bootysaurus]

I don't know if a child should face life in prison...I haven't read all the facts.

I teach 11 year olds and I have seen a few 'scary' ones throughout the years. One boy purposefully stomped a pigeon to death. :look: Yea. Serial murderers were once children too.

I think this boy just felt left out and jealous. He thought this would get rid of his problem. And it did. However, like the children in my class who are around shooting and murder all the time, they have NO CLUE what "dead" really, really means.

They also are very misled about the pain a bullet can cause.

How utterly regretful this act will be in his years to come. This child will never be a child again. His innocence is forever lost...whether or not he meant to "kill her"...he did. He is a murderer. It is what it is. Should he face life? I don't think so. Should he serve time for his crime premeditated or not? For sure. Therapy too. Lots of it.

How sad for the father, who lost his wife and unborn child, and basically his son. How sad for the mother, her last thoughts probably of the baby she was carrying. And how sad for this boy...who felt the only way out was to kill.

God bless them all.

[Bootysaurus]

If it turned out he had a mental illness or they felt that he could possibly be a serial killer, then perhaps they could release him on certain conditions?

Just curious to what conditions those would be? If he promised not to kill?

A serial killer is not a serial killer until he or she has committed many murders.

They could deem him to be a psychopath, but then again, we are all a little psychotic. No joke.