DescentBB

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/14/justice/w ... ?hpt=hp_t3

Under Washington state law, children between the ages of 8 and 12 are presumed to not have a capacity to commit a crime, prosecutor Rasmussen told CNN.


WTF is that BS? Anyone is capable. At that age, they know it's wrong to kill.

8 to 12 year olds? No jail time. 1 to 7 year olds? Better call your lawyers.

And in a related story, drug dealers are recruiting 8 - 11 year olds for sales and delivery positions in record numbers this morning....

Will Robinson wrote:And in a related story, drug dealers are recruiting 8 - 11 year olds for sales and delivery positions in record numbers this morning....

news flash, they've been doing that for years in a lot of cities.......

CDN_Merlin wrote:WTF is that BS? Anyone is capable. At that age, they know it's wrong to kill.

Not really...or at the very least, not in the same sense that you or I do. Even into your teens, the human brain is still developing in terms of having a true grasp on the potential consequences of one's actions, which is a big reason why teenagers pull so much stupid crap: they literally "aren't thinking" about what they're doing. This would be even more true at a younger age, and you can get a sense of that from the quotes in the article. The kids considered the girl "annoying"...and decided to kill her because of that? That isn't the thought process of a developed, rational mind.

callmeslick wrote:

Will Robinson wrote:And in a related story, drug dealers are recruiting 8 - 11 year olds for sales and delivery positions in record numbers this morning....

news flash, they've been doing that for years in a lot of cities.......

Didn't you help promote that when you were "negotiating" with the Colombian biker gangs?

hmmm.. looks like folks from Oregon have migrated into Washington and started writing laws there too.

CDN_Merlin wrote:http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/14/justice/w ... ?hpt=hp_t3

Under Washington state law, children between the ages of 8 and 12 are presumed to not have a capacity to commit a crime, prosecutor Rasmussen told CNN.


WTF is that BS? Anyone is capable. At that age, they know it's wrong to kill.

Sure they're capable, and culpable. We've seen child murderers in the past. But to think they're NOT responsible and DON'T have to pay the price? What an idiot. I've seen a lot of parents who think their child can do no wrong too. What we end up with is a bunch of miscreants and criminals. Maybe a child can't be criminally charged, but some type of punishment is warranted, or there will be a lot of repeat offenders when they get to adulthood.

Duper wrote:hmmm.. looks like folks from Oregon have migrated into Washington and started writing laws there too.

Naw. I think Washington's more liberal than even Portland. I lived up in Lake Stevens for a while. A lot of the parents in my rural area let their kids do all kinds of crap and didn't think any punishment was warranted because their kids could do no wrong in their eyes.

woodchip wrote:

callmeslick wrote:

Will Robinson wrote:And in a related story, drug dealers are recruiting 8 - 11 year olds for sales and delivery positions in record numbers this morning....

news flash, they've been doing that for years in a lot of cities.......

Didn't you help promote that when you were "negotiating" with the Colombian biker gangs?

ummm, a little wacky with your description, and NO. However, it always shocked me, on trips through the likes of Newark and the Bronx, the age of the street runners. It must be entry level employment on the Corners.

Top Gun wrote:

CDN_Merlin wrote:WTF is that BS? Anyone is capable. At that age, they know it's wrong to kill.

Not really...or at the very least, not in the same sense that you or I do. Even into your teens, the human brain is still developing in terms of having a true grasp on the potential consequences of one's actions, which is a big reason why teenagers pull so much stupid crap: they literally "aren't thinking" about what they're doing. This would be even more true at a younger age, and you can get a sense of that from the quotes in the article. The kids considered the girl "annoying"...and decided to kill her because of that? That isn't the thought process of a developed, rational mind.

My two year old knows when she's going something that she isn't supposed to. She does our "you're in trouble" face at us before we even say/do a thing when she's disobeying. Failing to think about the possible consequences isn't the same thing is having no conscious. Any child that doesn't know it's wrong to hurt other people hasn't been raised right...

I think Top Gun is mostly right. But like Snoopy says, they do have a conscience. I agree with he Washington law, to a point. I think most things should be laid at the feet of the parents, at that age. It's still their responsibility. Murder, however, is another matter in my mind. That's vary serious. Where can a child go from there? If you ask me, their life is pretty well fucked at that point.