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Should the children who killed a seven-year-old "Mortal Kombat-style" be tried as adults?

Results so far:

No
46% 101 votes Total: 219 votes
Yes
54% 118 votes

by Penny B

When children kill other children, you really have to wonder what's wrong with our society and is there a way to fix it! Depending on how young these murderers were, trying them as adults may do little good, and may in fact do more harm. It would also depend on the State in which this offense took place. If there is a death penalty, then such a sentence would seem too harsh for young children. Yet, I'm sure the parent's of the murdered child might think otherwise.

Unfortunately, our society has not yet figured out a perfect solution in dealing with crime, let alone deterring criminal activity by young offenders. However, this just cannot continue to go on as it is. Parents fear sending their children to school. They fear the bullies on the playground, the predators that stalk their neighborhoods, the gangs that run rampant in their cities and now even the peers of their own children. There just doesn't seem to be a safe place for our kids anymore.

It's also unfortunate, that incidents such as this have to happen before we, as adults, actually look around to see what's going on in our own cities, our own neighborhoods and maybe even in our own homes. Each case would have to be looked at individually, as there has to be a pattern that causes such things to occur. Maybe we, as parents, need to take a deeper look at ourselves and the kinds of values we are instilling in our children.

As it appears, there are several different catalysts that might cause our youth to commit such deviant acts. Although cell phones have their advantages, so many young teens are now using them to document acts of violence against their peers. That is not to say that cell phones cause such acts, but there is something amiss when there seems to be more bullying on the rise and our teens think that it's "cool" to record the violence.

Video games also seem to be a trigger for criminal activity. Again, you can't really say that the games themselves are a direct cause, but put that alongside the mindset of certain individuals and there can be a link. Video games are meant for entertainment, yet these games are becoming more realistic-looking and definitely more violence oriented. Children cannot always discern the difference between "fun" and actual harm. They cannot always comprehend the severity of their actions.

Back to the question of whether these children should be tried as adults. One would think that when "children" commit adult offenses (and they most definitely are, more and more these


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Should the children who killed a seven-year-old "Mortal Kombat-style" be tried as adults?

No
  • 1 of 8

    by Secre

    Now this question doesn't actually tell me how old the child killers were but using the word 'children' as my backing I assume

    read more

  • 2 of 8

    by Penny B

    When children kill other children, you really have to wonder what's wrong with our society and is there a way to fix it!

    read more

Yes
  • 1 of 16

    by Angie Papple

    Seven-year old Zoe Garcia's mother was working when her daughter was brutally murdered.

    On December 6, 2007, the little girl

    read more

  • 2 of 16

    by Michael James

    HELL YES!

    Wow. I looked this story up online before writing this. After what I read. Yes they need to be charged for murder

    read more

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