Young Offenders Act

[Tobias Funke]

I live near Toronto and almost everyday there is a news story about someone who is charged with robbery or murder or another violent crime. However, they are usually underage and protected by the young offenders act. Do you think that they should do away with it? I personally think that people use it to their advantage knowing that alot of the time they won't be charged as an adult.

[poocrusher]

One my friends in middle school was the first person to be charged as an adult in Colorado.  He was a really good dude, but got into gangs and killed a rival on Halloween.

[Bipsmound]

Personally, I think it's a good thing.  Some 13 year old doing some dumb shit should not have to pay for it for the rest of their life.  It'd probably just make em worse off and easier to slide into career criminalism.  Besides, haven't we all done some dumb shit?  Teenage Wildlife baby.

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

No I don't think they should charge kids as adults. As a kid your brain still has not fully developped, and the last thing that develops in the human mind is judgement. Talk to a teenager, they are regular, They have no ability to reason properly. They think they do, but their logic is often terrible. I teach junior year in high school, despite the fact that these kids are one year away from graduating high school, they still have shit for judgment. Thats why statutory rape laws exist too.

[poocrusher]

I think when it comes to murder or rape, it's a whole different story. 

[Tobias Funke]

Personally, I think it's a good thing.  Some 13 year old doing some dumb shit should not have to pay for it for the rest of their life.  It'd probably just make em worse off and easier to slide into career criminalism.  Besides, haven't we all done some dumb shit?  Teenage Wildlife baby.

I should have been a bit more specific. I'm not talking about a 13 year old kid who is out fucking around like all kids do. I'm talking about the person who is 16 or 17 and obviously knows that you shouldn't be robbing or murdering people.

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

Why is it that you think a 13 year old is just a kid, but somehow a 16 or 17 year old is an adult. If a 16 or 17 year old girl was pregnant would you say "She's not 13, the kid will be fine, she knew what she was doing..."
16 and 17 year olds do not reason like adults. Its scientific fact. Their brains are still developing, thats why they aren't allowed to drink booze or smoke either, because it fucks with their still developing brains.

[Tobias Funke]

I didn't say I think a 16 or 17 person is and adult. Are you saying that if someone that age murders or robs someone that it's okay, because their brain isn't developed yet?
I didn't want this to get into an argument. Just wanted to know what other people thought about it.

[NickDagger]

I'm for smart laws, and I think that reasonable discretion should be mandating in all matters of law-that is to say cops should know that kids with a little weed on them and kids skateboarding where they are supposed to shouldn't be treated the same way as gangbangers, rapists, and murderers.

Like yes, if a 8 year old brings a gun to school and shoots a bully then obviously he should not be charged as an adult.

If a 17 year old commits a serious of robberies, or rapes, or assaults, or murders. Fuck em, I'm all for reforming being a part of the sentence, but to pretend that they didn't know what they were doing or something is inane.

And it's silly to think that their rights to not live with the results of their crimes trumps the rights of their victims who get no say in the matter.

The Gipper's correct in his assertion that the brain is still developing in teenage years, so as I first stated discretion must be used and each case must be judged individually, we should strive to reform as many as safely possible, from an economic position that only makes sense-also ending the drug war would help us financially as well, use that money to pay cops more and to make them act responisbile instead of having them be the publics nemeses make them do what they're supposed to do, serve and protect us.

[ahlee]

dagger, whats your myspace again so i can add you.

[danny phillips]

i think they should get rid of it..none of these kids are going to learn from whatever they did and half of them who commit the crimes know exactly what they were doing was wrong (so do adults). so why not charge them as adults

[Guinness]

I think that if someone is old enough to hold a job they should be charged in a adult court system if it is assault or something of that nature.

[Ronald Wilson Reagan]

I'm not saying don't punish them at all, I'm just saying punish them in a way appropriate for their age and maturity, and to try not to give up on teenage kids with problems, no matter how great.

[BriDen]

I don't want to say get rid of it, because sometimes shit happens and they're young. But I don't wanna say keep it because it will be, and most likely has been taken advantage of. Every case is different, so the rulings and charges should reflect that, but it's a touchy subject, for sure.

[brooklyn brawler]

If I fought a 10 year old the same size as me, none of you would be mad at me, would you?

[NickDagger]

dagger, whats your myspace again so i can add you.

www.myspace.com/hatedforchoosingthisname