11 year old American- Life in prison with no chance of parole
 

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/01/y...thout-parole/#

Thoughts?:)

seems right to me

this

that

I think it's wrong, you cant treat kids differently in every single respect throughout society and then treat him no differently than an adult in the justice system. You cant and shouldnt compare a child murderer to an adult murderer imo..

I'm pretty sure they both know what they are doing though.

End a life you should get life.

Jk lol I don't see things that black and white. The kid was eleven. He could have been helped and rehabilitated through extensive mental therapy to mould him into a functionable member of society. There was plenty of time. What's not to say he had a horrible upbringing and could have changed completely in a few years? It happens to drug addicts doesn't it? It happens to grown men and women when they 'find god' in the space of a day at the truck stop.

Yeah they both known in the visceral, immediate sense that they are ending a life ... but the difference in implications and world view etc between an adult and a child are endless.

Your brain doesn't stop developing at eleven, you know. Eleven year olds don't represent the current apex of human thought and understanding.

Probably only right. The kid is 13 now and if he is showing no signs of remorse he won't change. He's best kept away from Society

This.

Maybe but I dont think you can trust an 11 year old to fully understand life and the consequences of their actions as well as an adult can. They're young, naive, stupid and impressionable and cant assess situations the same way an adult can. They also have a far better chance of being able to turn their lives around than adults can and I dont think it's possible to say that because he killed someone at 11 you can just mark him down as an evil murderer for life.

You have a point, but I still believe he deserves life imprisonment

Yeah, I agree with this

Death penalty would be more deserving.

Jon Venables is a living testament as to how a vicious 10 year old child killer, despite being given every chance of rehabilitation, and every help in establishing a new identity and a new life, grows up and continues to offend, secure in the knowledge that our pathetic justice system will continue to make excuses for him, and do gooders will continue to fall over themselves to "explain" his despicable crimes and offer him "rehabilitation".

I doubt Jamie Bulger's parents give a rat's behind as to whether the two scumbags who killed their 2 year old son without an ounce of compassion or remorse, "turn their lives around".

another joyful post from angus

Suicide is the only way out.

No honestly, if I was in that position that's what I'd do.

Those damn do gooders! Always trying to do good!

Obviously rehabilitation is possible, even more so in the cases of children, and all actions can be explained, it is of great benefit to us all to try and better understand why people commit the crimes they do.

:joker:

I take it from that post you are a glass half empty type of person eh?

You could look at it from another angle and say so far the rehabilitators in this case had a 50% success rate.

Bearing in mind when he comes up for early release after serving half of his two year term later this year, the Parole Board have to evaluate first his rehabilitation on the child porn charges, and then if his life licence should be reinstalled.

Well I'm sure he will be closely watched, and they know the signs to look out for. There isn't really that much information on the case or his upbringing, or what he's done for two years. The the fact he pleaded "not guilty" surely says something. If he's in for say 20 years and let out it could end up even worse.

These

I imagine he didn't handle his own legal case.

Seems an odd plea though, why would they let him? That is the reason why he got life. Obviously he didn't handle it all himself but he must've made the decision to go with that even if it was against their will.

Couldn't tell you, TBH. His legal team obviously thought he might have gotten away with it or that the sentencing could have went different or something. I didn't follow the case so I can't say for sure.

Tis happened before though.

He should have pleaded guilty to the case if he actually did it. Mmm.. life imprisonment for an 11 year old does sound harsh. However.. when is the age for a child to know the difference between right or wrong?? I think most children know the difference between right and wrong at the age of 10. 10 is when you can get an Asbo. It depends how he was brought up though. I was lucky to be brought up okay.
It's the curcumstances of how and why he shot his father's pregnant fiance. However like someone just posted.. after 2 years of this terrible crime he is showing no remorse? Seems like he knew what he was doing then and shouldn't be let out.
At 11 he should be in a rehabilitation centre. At 18 they should retrial him or something. Depending how he is at 18 should determine how long he gets in prison. If he shows NO remorse what so ever then when he is 18 he should be then sentenced to life imprisonment. If at 18, and over the years since he was 11 he has been looked at and analysed carefully and is a changed man then his jail sentece should be shorter.

Rehabilitation and extensive mental therapy and all that is what he needs now.

Apprently he was jealous of the fiance and her kids.

Oh damn. I am not surprised he was jealous. He shot the fiance in a moment of anger. Well he obviously planned to kill her out of anger but needs to be taught that is not what you do when you are angry with someone. At 13 he is showing no remorse and has not learnt that it was wrong to kill his father's fiance. Has he even said sorry yet?? From the looks of things looks like it may be life imprisonment after all. I hope the workers in the rehabilitation centre, psychiatrists and mental health therapists are doing all they can to change him. There is only so much you can do. And if at 18 he is still an arrogant sod with no remorse then he deserves life imprisonment.

He has a chance to change himself NOW.

There's very little info on the case for us to make a judgement tbh

But seen as we're here we may as well :tongue:

True :laugh: But where does it say that he hasnt showed any remorse, I couldnt see it mentioned in the article, or did it say somewhere else?

It's the fact he pleaded "not guilty" which sorta spelt out to the judge he showed no remorse. And he's been there for 2 years, so he must've talked to therapists and that. Also the nature of the crime, cold and callous.

This. I am just making a judgement on what we know though.

Venables was a neglected child getting a 15 year jail sentence in an adult court... after pleading guilty at that. What more do you want? Should they have had him hung, drawn and quartered?

Nobody of his age before him was convicted in such a way without the prosecution first being required to prove that a person under the age of 14 can be deemed a culpable in the eyes of the law (doli incapax). This was the only reason they were able to scrape so much as a 10 year minimum sentence for him in the first place. We have media pressure from the gutter press to thank for the additional 5.

The very idea that an 11 year old has the capacity to freely choose between right and wrong is absurd anyhow. People are not born evil and most certainly can never become calculating psychopaths until late adolescence. It's every bit as absurd and dangerous as suggesting that a minor can consent to sex. Such is Britain's national fixation with punishing and mollycoddling children in equal measure.

Indeed, there is something to be learned from Venables re-offending after his release. That throwing children into prison is completely inadequete as both a deterrant and a method of rehabilitation.

Hmm true, although his lawyers may well have advised that plea thinking there was not enough evidence or something like that.

Excellent post

No I would say they caught the little b*stard before he got around to actually abducting another child and perhaps killing again. I would say it's a 100% fail. He had the benefit of years of psychiatric evaluation and treatment and every educational opportunity, not to mention the mollycoddling he got inside because of his age. The Parole Board have no right to be gambling with the welfare of his potential victims if they get it wrong again.

If you want chat, games and frivolity, you're on the wrong thread:pat:

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.

Not always true. Think of Mary Bell.

He has a chance, unfortunately the two people he killed have no more chances. That is my main problem with rehabilitation, especially in adults, why should they be given the right to change and turn their life around when they've taken someone elses life away? Now ok maybe for an 11 year old the same rules shouldn't apply but If he ever really was properly rehabilitated how would he ever live with he had done?