THINK PAST THE CRIME

“THINK PAST THE CRIME”

To speak about a subject like this is very difficult because you don’t want to offend the victim’s family by giving off a “just forgive and get over it” attitude, but at the same time you want to believe that a second chance should be given to all of these juveniles.

I feel as though a person’s background, environment, and mental stability have a great impact on actions.  Giving these children life but yet supplying them with education, degrees, communication skills, etiquette, and job interview skills is pointless when they will never have a chance of knowing what freedom feels like anymore.  When you think about one of the most degrading things you can do to a human being is like them away.  It is our human nature to adapt.  We throw these children in a prison for life already damaged from their previous environment with no therapy.  Where do they find the guidance and control to actually learn and grow from their mistakes?  Their off the streets where all they seen was violence and separation and going into a building with bars and rules with nothing but violence and separation. Raphael Johnson, a former juvenile states “The system is designed to really destroy. It is not designed for rehabilitation, it's not designed for self correction, self analysis.”  This is an article so that one can see the juveniles position.  By no means am I saying their actions are justified, just thinking how much wrong we have done in our secret closets and how society would condemn us if it was known.  Maybe not to the extreme of prison… but just dealing with your own inner demons are enough for a day.

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/20/148919350/without-parole-juveniles-face-bleak-life-in-prison