I think that our bill should be not be very tight because with all of the different opinions it would be very hard to pass a bill with chiseled lines. However, i believe that our bill should cover what to do if a certain crime is committed such as murder, rape or a high degree of theft. Like i said about it being hard to pass a stiff law i feel that it would be ideal to have some guidelines to help cover different cases/ issues.
Karin.. i agree. I feel that that is one of the issues that comes up a lot. I also feel that there should be age limits for counseling groups and other treatment styles.
However i feel that even though their brain isn't fully developed i feel that they should still be held accountable for a decent part of the crime. For example, would you make the choice to steal or commit some other indecent act? NO! that is because you have developed enough to make your own choices. However we can make the punishment productive to help juveniles understand what they have done wrong and use the 25 year window to heal them.
Good points Maeve. Another reason only the most serious crimes should be jail offenses is overcrowding and more people to house causes cut to places where we need money and it could mean increases in taxes.
Kieran- Sounds good to me. I like the points at the end. However, what will be done about the the juvenile after their sentence. Would we want them monitored or should that be left up to the judge?
This is the bill should say. i think Any juvenile accused of any count of murder, rape or serious crime (to be determined by judge or jury) will be sent to an adult court for fair trial. However this child must be 15 years or older. When this person is released from their sentence they are to go to a rehabilitation center or have somebody with them to help them with their issue. However, any person under the age of 15 is to be tried in a juvenile court and is to be mentored until deemed fit to be released from help. In addition, for anyone up to the age 18 when they are suited to live on their own; may be removed temporarily or permanently removed from their legal guardian if it is decided they are not suited to bring up the child.