High court to look at life in prison for juveniles

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Cheyenne75 wrote:

I'm glad to see some have compassion. Appreciate your post and totally agree.<quoted text>

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Chicago Guy wrote:

These are horrific crimes, without question, but it does seem very questionable to sentence a thirteen year old boy to life with no possibility of parole when no other lives were taken.
No easy answers here, but hopefully the SC will work toward a more sane policy.

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Chicago Guy wrote:

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He did an atrocious thing, but he was thirteen years old, for God's sake.

What about "cruel and unusual punishment"?

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Burt wrote:

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Compassion? Try naivette. This beast will in all likelihood attack again. It is I who am compassionate.
Somewhere, a girl is happily living her life. Your "compassion" will likely mean her life will be horribly changed or worse by releasing this animal. Your misguided "compassion" will condemn her to a lifetime of torture.

Cheyenne75 wrote:

I don't agree. Naive, my foot! You lack compassion. I worked in a Juvenile Detention Center in Ohio some years ago, and I saw enough cases to learn that most turn their lives around if given the chance. At thirteen, that kid was a child both mentally and emotionally and those two factors, mixed with other problems he may have had, should have been considered, resulting in a more reasonable sentence. He didn't kill the woman. This kid has spent about twenty years in prison and deserves to be released. He has already paid for his crime. <quoted text>

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Cheyenne75 wrote:

I don't agree. Naive, my foot! You lack compassion. I worked in a Juvenile Detention Center in Ohio some years ago, and I saw enough cases to learn that most turn their lives around if given the chance. At thirteen, that kid was a child both mentally and emotionally and those two factors, mixed with other problems he may have had, should have been considered, resulting in a more reasonable sentence. He didn't kill the woman. This kid has spent about twenty years in prison and deserves to be released. He has already paid for his crime. <quoted text>

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Algernon Sidney wrote:

Crusaders against the death penalty (DP)consistently state that life without parole (LWOP) is an appropriate replacement for the DP. The ongoing crusade against LWOP should dispel any doubts about the honesty of those who spend so much time trying to put murderers back on the street.

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Bill----- wrote:

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And I've worked in law enforcement since 1965 and I've seen no such thing on any regular basis. Look at the recidivism rate for juvenile offenders for violent crimes. If they are committing crimes such as this at that early age, there is usually no chance that they will ever change, even with intensive one-on-one therapy and other help. If you want him released, you volunteer to have him move in with your family and you be responsible for his actions.

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Cheyenne75 wrote:

Perhaps you've seen little because you are too judgemental. I spent much time finding jobs for parolees, some who had been imprisoned for violent crimes, and many reformed and didn't reenter the prison system. I disagree that there is usually no chance they will ever change. One on one therapy worked, but more so did conversions to Christianity. Few are hopeless if given a chance. Of course, there are some who fail; but since we have no way of knowing who will change, we need to continue to try.
The thirteen year old mentioned would have had a much better chance of reform had he not been treated so harshly.
Your suggestion I have him move in with me since I want him released is the typical callous response of one who prefers making judgement instead of offering hope.<quoted text>

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Bill----- wrote:

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Typical response from someone who really does not know what they are talking about. Go to the DOJ web site on statistics. Your "some who will fail" is almost 90% recitivism for violent offenders, that is far from "some."
I have had 2 in all of those years that I know of that found religion in prison and it stuck. One scared me one day at a store approaching me with open arms. He is about 7'3" and had been convicted of Armed Robbery, did 10+ years. He gave gave me a hug, saying "thank you for sending me to prison and giving testimony that I seemed to be a basically good person." He has been out now as youth minister for almost 10 years I hear from him 1-2 a year.
If you were so great, why aren't you still doing it? "Too judgemental" and then too dangerous to the others at the center may be the answer.

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Cheyenne75 wrote:

Your opinion of my knowledge doesn’t bother me a bit.
I don’t need statistics to prove anything. I speak from experience and have my own statistics with the cases I worked on and therefore know the percentage. Besides, those statistics of the DOJ are about adult offenders, not about children sentenced to adult prisons; so they are not relevant.
Good for you that you found two. I have a much longer list, but I don’t mind if you want to pat yourself on the back for those two.
I stated nowhere that I consider myself great. I’m just another human being who believes in assisting those who need it, even those who are considered unworthy of help by you.
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Bill----- wrote:

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Please do not try to tell people that "you know what you know" and facts and statistics do not matter. That only proves that your little microcosm of the universe may have been slightly different, which does not matter at all in the big picture. BTW: The DOJ statistics have entire sections on juvenile offenders as well as adult offenders. With statements like that all you really do is to indicate that you have no reall idea about what you are talking about.
Since you want to be condescending you can just go ahead and pat yourself anywhere you want to do so. It will not change much of anything.

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Cheyenne75 wrote:

You're confused about who is condescending. Your arrogance says much.
Statistics aren't people and none changes the fact that a thirteen year old was a child judged as an adult and given a sentence far beyond what an adult committing the same crime would have gotten. At the time he committed his crime, statistics were much diferent from those of today.
As for my not having a real idea, you are without adequate knowledge with which to make that judgement. Your judgement is based on the fact you are offended because I disagreed with you so you are behaving like a child. <quoted text>

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Bill----- wrote:

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I have more than enough knowledge to make a judgment about what you said. You are basing your comments on a very limited perspective of having worked and quit in the field for a short time, my perspective is based on over 40 years of experience and having not quit and having not given up on kids. I took up with working with Boy Scouts and youth gang members to help try to get them to get out of gangs. What have you done?
I only openly disagree with someone when they openly state opinion as facts and base those "fact" on faulty information, which you have done and then reinforced by calling ME childish. You really need to look in the mirror. What you see will be arrogance personified.

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Cheyenne75 wrote:

It appears that while acquiring all that knowledge and experience, you also acquired a burr, which seems to be affecting your personality. You take offense over a simple disagreement.
What I've done with my life is no concern of yours but I will say that I have experience in counseling, job development, law enforcement, advocacy, research in medical history, among other things, even computer repair. I feel certain you'll have something derogatory to say about that.
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