Things that you were focused on at age 12 seem childlike by the time you reach 16. Things that were a priority at 18 lose their importance by the time you turn 21. And the person you were at 25 is often a far cry from the person you are at age 30.
Would you agree with the aforementioned statement?
Before you answer, consider the statement in reference to a child who commits a crime. Do you think a child who commits a crime at, say age 13 has the same mindset when they are 21-years-old?
It’s a complex question that may not have a “correct” answer, but most certainly wages a debate.
My opening paragraph was actually an excerpt from a commencement speech I gave to Martin University graduates last week. However, when I learned of the heinous stabbing of 4-year-old Leon Thomas III, I couldn’t help but reflect on the speech I gave mere hours before his life ended. Thomas’ accused murderer is his 14-year-old female cousin.
As the old saying goes, timing is everything…but it can also be coincidental.
A few hours after my speech and a few hours before Thomas’ death, I received an email from Dr. Lorraine Blackman. Blackman is an associate professor at the IU School of Social Work and much of her teaching, research and service focuses on “strengthening families to provide for the instrumental and expressive needs of their members across the lifespan.” In short, she is a tireless advocate who uses her passion and knowledge to enhance the community. I have a tremendous amount of respect for her and what has become her life’s work.
The email Blackman sent me was a report from the Equal Justice Initiative titled, “Cruel and Unusual: Sentencing 13 and 14-year-old Children to Die in Prison.” Among the various things the report detailed was the fact that over 2,225 juveniles under the age of 18 have been sentenced to life without parole in the United States. The Equal Justice Initiative documented 73 instances where children ages 13 and 14 have been sentenced to die in prison. They have no possibility of parole after incarceration because they were prosecuted as adults.
So back to my initial question: Do you think a child who commits a crime at 13 has the same mindset when he turns 21-years-old? Another way of asking the same question, but maybe garner a different response is: Do you believe a 21-year-old would handle a situation the same way a 13-year-old would?
My answer to both questions is it depends, though I’m more inclined to say no.
There are so many things to factor in when posing such “heavy” questions. The most glaring would be to factor in a child’s background and what they have been exposed to. What type of negative situations have they had to endure and how have they dealt with those situations?
If a child is born to parents who simply don’t invest in their children and don’t teach them right from wrong, is it fair to completely blame a child for his individual wrongdoing? How does that child even know his actions are wrong?
I am neither a sociologist nor psychiatrist, but I am willing to bet many of the crimes the 2,225 juveniles currently serving life in prison committed can be traced back to something that happened in their early years.
Take Quantel Lotts for example.
For Lotts, fighting was always the answer. As a matter of fact, when kids in his family misbehaved, the adults made them box each other. Can you imagine being a child and getting into a disagreement with a cousin over something relatively insignificant and the way you are told to deal with it is to duke it out? For a child like Lotts, talking things through or “time-outs” are foreign because he has always been taught to deal with the situations physically.
One day Lotts got into an argument with his stepbrother over a toy. The argument escalated to a fight and the stepbrother died. Lotts was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in prison.
Based on the circumstances of his background, was Lotts’ punishment warranted?
I think not.
The Equal Justice Initiative’s report detailed something that underscores why prosecuting children as adults really is cruel and unusual punishment.
“Scientists have revealed that adolescents’ brains are anatomically undeveloped in parts of the cerebrum associated with impulse control, regulation of emotions, risk assessment and moral reasoning. Accordingly, the neurological development most critical to making good judgments, moral and ethical decision-making, and controlling impulsive behavior is incomplete during adolescence.”
To say that the 14-year-old who killed Leon Thomas III last weekend on Indianapolis’ Eastside will be convicted and sentenced to life in prison is presumptive at this point. However, if one factors in all of the items in the preceding paragraph as well as possible triggers such as the girl’s background, motive, whether or not she has ever been abused, or if she suffers from some sort of mental illness – it will be interesting to see how prosecutors and judges deal with the case. If convicted, it could literally go either way: she can be tried as a juvenile and have the ability to be rehabilitated in the system, or she can be tried as an adult and spend the rest of her life in jail.
You can email comments to Shannon Williams at shannonw@indyrecorder.com.
