What life is like for 14-year-old killer tried as an adult - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

davidmash · #1 02-26-2012, 11:04 PM

Quote:

"Happy birthday," she said.

It was 6 o'clock. Paul would just as soon been given a few more minutes to sleep.

But in a place where he must ask permission to go to the bathroom, where he eats every meal under close surveillance and where birthdays aren't much different from any other day, it was a nice gesture for one of the state's most controversial inmates.

Paul Gingerich is believed to be the youngest person in Indiana ever sentenced to prison as an adult.

He was still 12 years old when he arrived here at the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility, the state's maximum security prison for children.

What life is like for 14-year-old killer tried as an adult

I was reading this and I do not know if I am comfortable with a 12 year old being treated as an adult. I am trying to remember my self at 12 and I do not know if a 12 year old has the mental capacity to understand what was going on. Seems like a wast of a kids life. Yes I know a man is dead. Yes the kid had a part in it but it seem some what akin to yelling at a infant for making a mess.

I hope the kid gets a second chance.

spdrun · #2 02-26-2012, 11:26 PM

If they can try a 12 yo as an adult, does that mean he could have got the death sentence?

E150GT · #3 02-26-2012, 11:27 PM

At 12 you do know right from wrong. I am not saying what happened here is right or wrong but at 12 you should be held accountable for your actions.

davidmash · #4 02-26-2012, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E150GT

At 12 you do know right from wrong. I am not saying what happened here is right or wrong but at 12 you should be held accountable for your actions.

I am not entirely certain about that. I think the peer pressure from the 15 yr old should be taken into account as well.

Jorn · #5 02-26-2012, 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E150GT

At 12 you do know right from wrong. I am not saying what happened here is right or wrong but at 12 you should be held accountable for your actions.

Put a sixteen year old behind the wheels of a Porsche 911 and see what happens. Kids maybe know they are wrong but they don't see the consequences of there actions.

E150GT · #6 02-26-2012, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidmash

I am not entirely certain about that. I think the peer pressure from the 15 yr old should be taken into account as well.

You couldnt convince me to kill someones dad, even at 12.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jorn

Put a sixteen year old behind the wheels of a Porsche 911 and see what happens. Kids maybe know they are wrong but they don't see the consequences of there actions.

Thats hardly the same thing.

These kids had a choice. They could run away. They decided to kill instead.

davidmash · #7 02-26-2012, 11:57 PM

US law says a minor cannot consent to sex which would seem to indicate that they do not have the capability to make that decision based on a proper evaluation of the situation. How can a minor be then told that murder is different? I agree with Jorn in that consequences are not a factor at 12 yrs old.

Angel · #8 02-26-2012, 11:59 PM

I am kinda thinking that we should roll all the "adult' stuff into one age - be it 16, 18 or 21 - Whatever...
...at that age, you get to drink alcohol, enlist in the .mil, vote, buy pron, enter into contracts by yourself, are automatically tried as an adult, under this its statutory rape, et cetera.

Maybe this would clear some things up for some kids ?

-John

E150GT · #9 02-26-2012, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidmash

US law says a minor cannot consent to sex which would seem to indicate that they do not have the capability to make that decision based on a proper evaluation of the situation. How can a minor be then told that murder is different? I agree with Jorn in that consequences are not a factor at 12 yrs old.

so what do you do with him?

spdrun · #10 02-27-2012, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E150GT

so what do you do with him?

Shorten the mandatory sentence without parole to 5 years.

Jorn · #11 02-27-2012, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by E150GT

You couldnt convince me to kill someones dad, even at 12.

Thats hardly the same thing.

These kids had a choice. They could run away. They decided to kill instead.

I used it as an example that is easier to understand for most of us. Not many of us here understand a killer, let alone a 12 year old killer. But we all know of boys that drive reckless when they get the keys of a car and maybe even understand their "dumb" actions.
And I think we have less "choice" then we like to believe we have, especially when you're still a kid.

MS Fowler · #12 02-27-2012, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davidmash

US law says a minor cannot consent to sex which would seem to indicate that they do not have the capability to make that decision based on a proper evaluation of the situation. How can a minor be then told that murder is different? I agree with Jorn in that consequences are not a factor at 12 yrs old.

So are we creating a market for 12 year old hit men?

strelnik · #13 02-27-2012, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MS Fowler

So are we creating a market for 12 year old hit men?

There are two out there already:

1. The Lord's Resistance Army-- " because no one suspects kids "

2. A number of drug gangs

Txjake · #14 02-27-2012, 08:48 AM

He killed someone, leave him there.

HuskyMan · #15 02-27-2012, 09:01 AM

the concept of prisons in the United States began with the Quakers in Pennsylvania. They called them penintentiaries as in doing Penance, where a man is supposed to show remorse for his crimes. It is supposed to be a religious experience.

it appears today's prisons have become training grounds for criminals. They go in bad and come out knowing how to be a better criminal.

The system is working.