No point in juvenile court if we aren't going to use it

I find it disturbing that we are charging all these teenagers as adults in the court system. What is the point in juvenile court if we aren't going to use it?

It was announced today that the two girls from Waukesha will be charged as adults in the "Slenderman" murder attempt. The girls were 12 years old at the time of the incident. It was also announced that a 15 year old is being charged as an adult for stabbing to death a 13 year old in a gang-related fight in Wausau.

A 17 year old is being charged with murder for killing her mom and step-father in Oneida County. In this instance, I am not as bothered by her being charged as an adult, since she is much closer to being 18.

Perhaps I am just not up on all the legal reasons why a young person is charged as an adult, but, I just don't feel that the mentality of a 12 year old is comparable to one of an 18 year old. Especially in the Slenderman case, these girls were obviously confusing fiction with reality.

What will happen to them? Will they all be locked up for the rest of their lives? How many of us made huge mistakes at those ages? I just don't think brains are devloped and mature enough to be considered adults in some of these cases.

What do you think?

Comments

Just depends on the case. You're not going to charge someone in a fist fight the way you would a stabbing or attempted homicide.

Charge them as a minor and I think they are free by age 18 or 21... and as for the 12 y/o girls.. do you in your heart and mind really believe they thought they could not tell the difference between reality and fiction?? As for the 13 and 15 year old boys.. it is so very sad that these young men and their loved ones, will and have paid for their parents mistakes.

You are referring to 3 cases, there are thousands a year in the state, the system is being used, but based upon more serious charges such as murder they should be charged as an adult.

Yes, and then you have a 17 year old who stole a vehicle and ended up killing two teenagers after crashing the SUV and she did get charged a juvenile? I would have thought they would have charged her as an adult. None of it makes any sense.

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