When Jamie Bulger was murdered by two young boys the country was aghast as much at the fact that two little boys had kidnapped and murdered a child as much as the actual crime.
Those boys are now living in another country with new names and a new life.
History has taught us that children can and do commit horrific crimes, and not just the juvenile and petty things we associate with our young ones.
That is until now, the Bulger case opened a debate on whether young children could be tried in a manner that befit the crime. We have seen over the past few years people that we call children commiting what we class as Adult crimes, namely rape and murder.
The time when children would run if you mentioned telling their parents or if they saw a police iniform has long gone, nowadays they stand and swear at you, throw things at you physically attack you.
We have passed laws that have virtually made these children untouchable, they are not scared what have they to fear? they are minors, they can go out and knife the kid down the road because he said something they didnt like and know that they will probably do community service for it.
Children know they can do wrong and get away with it, and if they know this then surely they know the difference between right and wrong?
In which case they know what they are doing when they take that knife or that gun and use it to take anothers life.
If a child knowingly commits an adult crime, should that child be tried as an adult?
2007-08-29 @ 22:22