They didn't get a Second Chance | Teen Ink

They didn't get a Second Chance

January 11, 2010
By Fall.with.me16 BRONZE, Houston, Texas
Fall.with.me16 BRONZE, Houston, Texas
4 articles 0 photos 1 comment

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“Do you think anyone saw us?” asked one of the boys. The other boy dropped the limp boy’s legs on the ground and swiveled around, wide eyed, “Let’s hope not!” He whispered excitedly. The other boy let go of the limp boy’s arms, his tiny skull hitting the ground with a thump, the boy flinched, the limp boy’s body was not far from being his own size. “You’re not regretting this are you?” asked the other boy, “No, no it’s just what happens if we get caught?” “I thought of that too,” said the other boy. “Do you think they will put us to death, since we know kind of, um,” he stuttered, “killed someone?” “They can’t do that to us, we’re 10!” exclaimed the other boy. “Yeah you’re right,” he paused, “come on let’s get this kid’s body on the tracks before the cops show up,” demanded the boy. “Right,” said the other boy. Now, tell me does that sound innocent to you? Sure, that might’ve not been what exactly happened, but records do show, “It was reported the two boys set out that morning with the intention of hurting or killing a young child for fun”(Wilde 1). Many people believe children should have the chance for rehabilitation, a second chance to “restart life,” when committing a crime, even a serious one such as murder. I for one believe children should be tried as adults in situation such as the one I just explained. I believe children should be tried as adults, so the family and the victim or even victims can have justice. Kids should have a second chance, when stealing a candy bar, but when it comes to stealing cars, killing, and raping, I don’t think I want that person back on the street without a real punishment or a real lesson learned. If kids have already learned to commit a serious crime what makes people think they won’t do it again? People are being put in danger when a juvenile is released from rehabilitation centers, I mean the juvenile jails are a little more hard punishment, but still things are often given to the prisoners by youth groups or even parents. Think about, someone has killed one of your love ones, you are in such agony, wouldn’t you want the comforting idea they are being taught a lesson?
Or even the idea of them not doing it again? How would you feel if your teenage was set on fire? Don’t think that’s possible? Well it is in an article in “The raw story,” it was told that, “Five teenagers were charged with aggravated battery Tuesday for dousing a 15-year-old with rubbing alcohol and setting him on fire because he stopped someone from stealing his father's bicycle”(1). Did they even feel remorse for there wrongdoing? No they didn’t, I can reassure you the quote, “Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti said that even after they were arrested, some of the teens showed little remorse. “A couple of them last night were laughing about it," he said,” shows that none of them lost a wink of sleep (raw story 2). I honestly wish I can say kids don’t deserve punishment, I’m one myself I know how it feels to go home with no hope of escaping punishment, but it needs to be given, it helps people learn, to make sure they think twice before repeating the same action.

Although, it seems like Mike Hendricks believes that, “14 is too young to be considered an adult,”(1). True, but don’t you hear the phrase you’re a young adult now start acting like it around that age? 13 is usually the age where people start treating you less of a child and more like an adult. I do believe at 10 you are still a bit immature, you still laugh at pointless jokes, and you still get treated like a baby from high school kids, but that does not mean that, “Their brains are wired differently. They don’t think things out the way we do,” (Hendricks 1). Wired differently? What does that even mean? Don’t kids still breath, write, laugh, love, and learn? Do you get to a certain age and automatically stop doing something? No, you don’t usually hear someone say it is time to stop that, or hear someone saying that it is “kids stuff.” Yet adults still do children things, they play games, watch cartoons, and even at times laugh at pointless jokes! They aren’t wired differently! They’ve learned to out grow things! But can someone learn to out grow murder? Hendricks does not deny to the crimes being repulsive, yet he also thinks, “it’s also shocking that ours is a society in which kids so young are denied a chance at rehabilitation in the juvenile system (1). He just admitted to the crimes being unthinkable, why would we want to give murders a second chance? Sure, give them a second chance, but who says they haven’t become trigger-happy, knife happy, or attracted to stealing things! Chances should not be taken when lives are at stake! Hendricks also doesn’t give into the thought of sending children to adult prison because, “they’re abused and come out more dangerous and damaged than when they went in”(2). When were they ever abused? Maybe children were abused, on they are on trial, who says the jury won’t look at that? The ones who are receiving the abuse are the people lying emotionless on the cold hard ground, never to be able to pursue their dreams, never to give another smile, never again given a second chance when they show imperfection. As for dangerous, why would any child want to go back to an abyss? Any child would be smart enough to put two and two together. Commit a crime, go back to a life where mommy has to sit and cry from the other side of the telephone, because you decided to let your anger get a hold of you, you decided to let satan take of hold of you. So what? So what if the two 10 year olds get away with murdering a 2- year- old? So what if children continue you to burn, kill, rape and steal, not only objects, but dreams of other people? So what? Here’s what: Put yourself in each of the family members shoes, do you think you would still be thinking so what? Or wouldn’t you want something done about? Wouldn’t you want your loved one’s memory to live on? Or would you just rather it be stuck in the back of the mind of their murders never to be brought up again. Children do not always act like children; their actions are not always child- like. So we should put the innocence back into something, something called justice that is why kids shouldn’t be taken slightly, why kids should be tried as adults in many different situations.



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