Ten year olds incarcerated.

[sesmo_k]

I do some voluntary work for Youth Offender Panels in the UK. Basically these panels try to rehabilitate children who commit criminal offences between the ages of 10-17. The offence must be the childs first offence and they must have pleaded guilty to it. They are given referrals to a panel by magistrates. I have been a part of these panels for a few years now and for the most part if has been rewarding work. Over the time they have been going, the recidivism rate has dropped to 10%, before Youth Offender Panels were used in my area, the recidivism rate was more like 40% from the sentences and conditions imposed by the magistrates.

Recently though I was involved in a panel where the young person was accused of a fairly innocuous crime (stealing a small value item). The young person then had to come to review meetings once a month for three months. On the third month the young person did not attend the panel meeting, the reason... they were being held in a Young Offenders Institute. This person is 10 years old. I cannot release infomation about the second offence as it is rightly confidential, but I can't help but think that locking up a 10 year old (whatever they have done) is not the way to be treating children in a civilised society. Surely, secure centres (as exist in the UK) are a far more useful commodity to treat the youngest people. If they had committed their misdemeanors a few months earlier they wouldn't have even been charged (the age of criminal responsibilty is 10 in the UK).

I firmly believe that criminals should be punished, I also think that the prison system in the UK can be far too lax, but incarcerating a 10 year old with others much older (up to 17) is surely not the right way to go about things.

Thoughts?

 

[LeFevre]

Would you be cool with it if there were two or three minor age group holding centers? One for the very young, one for say 13-15 and one for almost adults?

There are horrible and mean folks, some even aged 10. Little bastages who vandalize, throw rocks through your house windows, key your car, pyromaniacs, kids stealing cars to joyride.

Maybe there should be multiple juvenile detentions for different age groups, but then one could make an arguement for a 10 year old being locked up in juve with another 10 or 11 year old who is like Shaq and at 11 they are already six foot tall. Or one could make an arugement that an 18yr old stupid punk kid who is guilty and goes off to prision for a few years but still has the body of a 15 year old, that dude has prision bitch written all over them.

 

[Tmy]

We forget how smart we were at that age. 10 year olds know right from wrong. Better to lock him up now and teach him a lesson then wait till hes 20 and a lost cause.

 

[aerosolben]

The first thing I thought of on seeing the thread: "10-year-olds, Dude."

After reading it: "Do you see what happens, Larry? Do you see what happens when you f*** a stranger in the a**!"

 

[Whoracle]

I remember the story of when an 8 year old was being tried for rape but they had to stop when the defense pointed out he wasnt physically capable of producing the evidence. I really dont think we should be treating kids as criminals. Teenagers ok, but things are getting ridiculous.

 

[sesmo_k]

I know that there are a whole load of 10 year olds who think act and look much older, but there are also 10 year olds who are led on by others, have the whole peer pressure thing going. A child of ten shouldn't be locked up with those much older than themselves, personally I believe that different age groups should be held in seperate secure centres.

 

[Zbu]

We forget how smart we were at that age. 10 year olds know right from wrong. Better to lock him up now and teach him a lesson then wait till hes 20 and a lost cause.

While true to an extent, I feel that if there's a problem with kids to this extent, maybe there such be a certain court to take care of these kids. While there may be criminals of that age, the way to solve it isn't to put them into the big leagues with other kids but to separate and solve it. And there should be something in this court that has some power to examine the parents' role in the matter as well. If this is a preventative measure, then let's truly solve the matter instead of giving the child a pointless scare that may not work to our satisfaction.

 

[sesmo_k]

Zbu, I had a case a few months ago where a child was convicted of handling stolen goods. The goods were stolen by his father. The panel made an order that the father attended the same courses (drug awareness and a day spent as a mock prisoner)as his child. Result... one father scared witless at the prospect of doing time, as far as I know, both have been on the straight and narrow ever since.

 

[Tmy]

In the US our juvinal court system is set up wh a focus on rehabilitation, not punishment.