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The Paradox of Punishment: Teenagers Prosecuted as Adults - Page 2© Glenn Hameroff
Page 2
Jun 13, 2000
If young Nathaniel could legally buy a beer, it would in no way mitigate the responsibility for the rage that inspired him to fire a bullet into the face of Barry Grunow. Why are some of our young people filled with the fires of such a violent rage? Is it the music, the movies and the video games? Did the removal of school prayer and the secularization of public education contribute to this seething force apparently ready to ignite at the slightest provocation? Does the instability of the American family deny children the security necessary for healthy emotional development? [Taking Sides: Juvenile Justice-
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/us/Ta... ]
It would appear that if you ascribe to any of the aforementioned causes of this violent rage that philosophically you are to some degree a Determinist. A Determinist alleges that the development of the individual is deeply impacted by external forces. In fact, many "Hard Determinists" would contend that the individual is totally molded by environmental influences. Would such a worldview reduce the responsibility of a thirteen year old, a novice at dealing with the conflicting demands of an all-powerful environment, from the criminal intent necessary to indict for murder in the first degree?
An advocate of Free Will celebrates the innate sovereignty of the individual to "captain his or her ship" through life's waters. However, does an inconsistency exist between a thirteen-year-old child's legal status as an infant and the exercise of free will and its concurrent accountability? If we are willing to impose life imprisonment, why do we insist upon mandatory school attendance? Why is the age of consent and marriage higher in those jurisdictions that will treat a thirteen year old as eligible for full prosecution under the law? The outrage and desire for vengeance provoked by senseless crimes can easily render logic irrelevant. Yet, do we want to teach our children that logic is only for the hypothetical discussion and getting even is really what counts?
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