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[gregor]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4967340.stm

Huh, they really seemed to push her. I don't think she should go to prison. She should get some psychiatric "treatment" thought. If someone abuses you and you kill them how is that a "serious" crime?

edit... time to go home... been working too long... to many spellink mistakes... can someone fix them???

[The Niles]

Dreadfull, I must keep telling myself I do not know anything about this case but there is the urge to condem the US for yet another horrible mistake in their justice system.

I'm glad I don't live there.

[taikara]

Paul Morrison is a jerk :tai:

I mean, yes, she committed a heinous crime, but making her stand naked in a corner is abusive. She should have been tried as a juvenile.

@The Niles: I would personally appreciate it if this wasn't turned into an anti-US thread. I'm American, and I find it outrageous myself. I personally didn't have anything to do with what happened to the girl, and neither did 99.99% or so of the rest of us Americans. Paul Morrison, and his District Attorney backing, made the call and pushed for her to be sentenced as an adult, probably to make a nice platform/media coverage for their own political stance. I'm sure your own government officials make stands that you don't agree with, and wouldn't like getting "condemned" for as a citizen of the same country.

[Stebbi]

@ Tai: You live in the USA I despise YOU!!! :angry: ....................kidding..... :whistle:

[Tom Henrik]

The US law is actually really good, the problem is (like with any law system) that is is based on humans to interpret the laws and to push for penalties.

This case is an obvious mistake, as she should have been judged as a juvenile. And from looking at the different sources, it seems that no-one really did their background check on the situation.

If I am correct, I think we will see this case up for a re-trial in the future. The verdict was a mistake, and thanks to the pressure from the public, I think they will change their verdict.

Anyways... there is no reason to point the finger at the entire US system.

[_r.u.s.s.]

i don't like usa "summation" system. like if you make robery of few shops in europe you have some limit for "robber crime".
dont kill me if iam wrong but i have been told that in america they sum all the robbed shops together and you can gain even 634 years of prison.
i dont think its addequate

[rlbell]

Originally posted by gregor@May 3 2006, 01:53 PM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4967340.stm

Huh, they really seemed to push her. I don't think she should go to prison. She should get some psychiatric "treatment" thought. If someone abuses you and you kill them how is that a "serious" crime?

edit... time to go home... been working too long... to many spellink mistakes... can someone fix them???

The problem is that what she did was unamerican. A true american would suffer this humiliation in silence; until they reached the age of majority, then sue the parents into bankruptcy .

More seriously, the abuse she received, while good enough to get the local children's aid services to take her out of the home, was not enough to justify a fatal knife attack.

I heard a story of tragic incident involving drunken rage and firearms. The abusive father was drunk and had finally had enough of something and had decided to shoot his wife and some of his children. After he loaded the first of several weapons, he handed it to another of his sons to free his hands to load a second weapon. Before he finished loading that weapon, his son shot and killed him. In this instance, a clear case of necessity, the boy was not even charged.

If the girl's mother had been beating her at the time of the attack, a case of self defence could be forwarded, but she was not physically harmed, so the law takes a dim view of killing.

[taikara]

I think something needs to be said for prolongued mental and emotional abuse.

Not all abuse is physical in nature, and over a long period of time, under that kind of pressure, I think anyone could snap, especially a kid, who's probably still adapting to hormonal changes.

I mean, who among us hasn't gotten really angry at our parents when we were kids? Then imagine what that anger would be like if no matter how much better you behaved and performed than everyone around you, it only got you punished, and add to that the shame of being a teenage girl made to stand naked in a corner for something that most kids would be rewarded for?

I agree that what the girl did was wrong, but she suffered for a long time, and couldn't get away from the abuse that she continuously experienced. It's likely she just snapped, I highly doubt that she would be an actual threat in normal society.

A case of self-defense isn't the issue here. She probably just lost it.

It was wrong, but she is still a child, living in abusive, emotionally stressing circumstances, with no history of any malicious behavior, and being tried as an adult is, imho, unjust.

The girl needs serious counselling, not more abuse from a bunch of hardened, actual (repeat offender) criminals.

[Fruit Pie Jones]

Originally posted by _r.u.s.s.@May 3 2006, 09:32 AM
dont kill me if iam wrong but i have been told that in america they sum all the robbed shops together and you can gain even 634 years of prison.
i dont think its addequate

Really? I would think 634 years would be enough for just about anyone.

More seriously, do you not think there's a difference between robbing one convenience store and robbing 100 of them?

[Doubler]

(If you'll allow me to jump in)

... Barely if you consider the intent, purpose and reason remains the same.
The only thing that would be satisfied by adding them all up is a taste for revenge, and it would go by all the other basic reasons for punishment.