Introduction
Adolescence covers the period from 11 to 15 years, which corresponds to the middle school age. During this period, complex and contradictory changes occur in the personality of children, which is why this age is also called difficult, critical and transitional. Accordingly, children at this age are vulnerable to external and internal factors that negatively affect them. Thus, it is essential to establish how the influence of these factors explains the commission of murder by an adolescent.
Explanation of my Decision
It is important to note that in the U.S. there is a practice of juvenile offenders being prosecuted and tried as adults. For example, a Riverside County court in California sentenced to 10 years in prison 13-year-old Joseph Hall, who had previously been found guilty of killing his father, local neo-Nazi leader Jeffrey Hall (Mirandé, 2019). According to the court order, Hall will serve his sentence in a juvenile correctional facility. Hocha, the defendant’s defense asked that he be transferred to a rehabilitation center near his home. In addition, during the investigation, law enforcement’s main concern was to determine whether the boy committed the murder knowingly. The court considered Hall’s guilt to be proven by the fact that he hid the gun under his bed and was not crying when police arrived, and that he told his sister about his plans a few days before the crime (Mirandé, 2019). There were also additional witnesses who testified that the boy growing up aggressive. He beat his sisters and classmates and tried to strangle his teacher with a wire.
Therefore, this example and the principles of the law provide the community with the right to demand that a 13-year-old child who shot and injured other children in the schoolyard be punished according to the rules applicable to adults. However, the judge and the authorities conducting the investigation must consider all the factors of the case, especially the factors that influenced the child. This is essential in order to establish the consciousness of the murder and the emotional and mental state of the child. Accordingly, the case states that the children constantly bullied the child who committed the murder. At the same time, the boy survived the death of his mother and recently moved to a new neighborhood. It is important to note that witnesses confirmed these facts. Furthermore, the physical development of the child indicates that he is not sufficiently developed for his age. Thus, under these conditions, the court’s decision should also consider such key issues as the emotional and psychological state of the child.
I suggest that the child should be tried as a minor and provided with proper treatment and rehabilitation rather than a significant prison sentence. First of all, it should be remembered that adolescents go through significant changes in a short period of time. Growth and body weight increase dramatically, the former appearance changes and secondary sexual characteristics appear (Restak, 2001). Adolescents are focused on these changes, and their moods and behavior constantly change. It is important to note that the defendant was stressed because the children mocked him, and his physical condition did not meet the norm, which only aggravated the abuse. Under this influence, teenagers often have a feeling of uncontrolled aggression (Benes, 1998). Although in addition to these factors, the boy had recently moved to a new area and needed the support of others because he had lost his mother. Instead, the kid got into a hostile environment, and his brain, under the influence of stress, decided to fight against the factors that caused it.
Accordingly, the child’s stress manifested itself through changes in behavior, which was expressed by aggressiveness. When the boy could not control himself and decided to punish those people who hurt him. Meanwhile, experts suggest that children can react to stress more globally due to depression, which occurs in case of loss of a loved one (Benes, 1998). This factor is also present in the case of the thirteen-year-old boy, who really needed support and help. Hence, I believe that the boy’s brain turned on a defense mechanism against stress, because the nervous system could no longer cope with it. Consequently, the child committed unconscious and impulsive actions that caused the death and injury of other children.
Therefore, I suggest that in addition to the fact that the child cannot be judged by the rules for adults because the boy did not actually control his actions. Moreover, I suggest also to consider the possibility of treatment for him in a psychiatric institution or to involve psychologists now. This incident in the school yard was another factor that only worsened the moral and psychological state of the teenager. After this event, there may be processes in the brain according to which the child may become a criminal who will consciously commit such actions. Hence, it is imperative to provide proper assistance to the child in order to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
Conclusion
Thus, the teenager should be tried according to the rules used for minors. This is because due to a combination of factors such as the death of his mother, moving and bullying of peers at school, he had an unstable psychological state. Moreover, it was especially manifested due to the fact that the boy was in his childhood, which only strengthened the processes of aggression and the desire to take revenge on the offenders. In addition, I also believe that the child should first be provided with proper psychological assistance in order not to worsen his condition.
References
Benes, F. M. (1998). Brain development, VII: Human brain growth spans decades. American Journal of Psychiatry, 155(11), 1489–1489. Web.
Mirandé, A. (2019). Gringo injustice: Insider perspectives on police, gangs, and law. Routledge.
Restak, R. M. (2001). The secret life of the brain. Dana Press and Joseph Henry Press.