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THURSDAY HOT READ: WHAT ABOUT THE NEXT VICTIM?By Charlie SykesNext week, the U.S. Supreme Court will be told that no young man can be as bad as Joe Sullivan, not even Joe Sullivan. Sullivan was 13 when he broke into a house in Florida to rob it and, as long as he was at it, rape the 72-year-old woman living there. This came after 17 prior convictions for burglary, assault and such. A judge decided Sullivan was impervious to rehabilitation and, to protect Florida, sentenced him to life without parole. This, justices will hear, was unconstitutional. Sullivan's lawyer will argue that it's cruel to decide a 13-year-old must be locked up forever. Groups that campaign on behalf of young criminals hope the court will rule such sentences impermissible. "You can never make that kind of judgment about a juvenile," wrote Sullivan's lawyer. Never? Not even after 17 prior convictions? One seldom hears so pure an expression of the viewpoint. Rather, those advocating for the worst young criminals rest their arguments on the premise that an unduly harsh America is willy-nilly discarding children.... |
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Saturday, Nov 7 at 7:39 AM TJ wrote ...
Mike, you take him in, help him, save him, pay for him, since you are the compassionate ONE!
31741436 Flag for moderationFriday, Nov 6 at 5:24 AM Kenny G to Mike the Conservative wrote ...
WWJD, you ask? He'd command satan to leave the boy, I suppose. So while we wait on the Lord to act, we have to slow the little feller down, so I stick with my policy of castration, amputation, and tatooing. Then he's harmless at a low cost to society. It's not cruel punishment-we did keep him alive for God to save him; it's not unusual punishment-it's equitable and it makes sense, and it protects the rest of us safe.
31680764 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 10:31 PM Jordan wrote ...
I'm with Shelly
31674836 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 10:12 PM Mike wrote ...
Compassionate conservatism FTW!
31674246 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 4:40 PM Political Party Pooper wrote ...
The sentence WAS wrong. This boy should be put to death. There is no room in our society for mentalities like his. I cannot even imagine the horror of him reproducing, and passing on his screwed up mentality to someone else.
31660349 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 3:09 PM Kenny G wrote ...
Jail him forever so he can run his menace in Jail? Why bother? Snip of his kielbasa and his arms at the elbow tattoo his forehead and set the boy free. Then he pretty much HAS to pay nicely with the other children, doesn't he?
31655274 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 12:13 PM BV wrote ...
to Mike the Conservative: Jesus would slap that boy on the bottom with a belt until his behind was so sore he couldn't sit for 2 days.
31643876 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 10:39 AM Locke wrote ...
I don't have anything resembling first-hand knowledge of how parole boards work. But it seems to me that is the framework established for making the detrmination if a person is ready to be released or not. And their decision has the benefit of years - perhaps decades of evidence to weigh whether a criminal should be released - while a judge at sentencing is trying to predict the future. I don't have a problem with no possibility of parole for worst case, violent serial offending adults however.
31637489 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 10:29 AM Locke wrote ...
@TS - that's how that "willy-nilly" comment struck me as well. What I found strange about McIlheran's argument...he talks about the absolutism. I was thinking of the same word,but with the opposite view. Locking a young person up without parole is too absolute. If after an appropriate period of time, he's hasn't taken huge strides to reform and/or he's still a danger, by all means keep him locked up. Making the forever determiation at sentencing seems about 20 years premature and too absolute.
31636791 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 9:18 AM Truth Seeker wrote ...
"those advocating for the worst young criminals rest their arguments on the premise that an unduly harsh America is willy-nilly discarding children...."...Yet they are typically FOR abortion? That isn't "willy-nilly discarding children"? Huh?
31631969 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 9:15 AM Jeff K. wrote ...
It is unfortunate that this boy turned out to be a violent animal even after getting 17 chances to do the right thing. My only regret is that his parents are not locked up with him.
31631774 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 8:38 AM Locke wrote ...
I have to admit being a little uneasy with life without parole for a 13 year old. That's not to say severe punishment fitting the severity of the crime and considerating his prior crimes and behavior is not proper. But it's troubling to say the least, that by as early as 13 years, a person can be so "locked in" as to make them beyond rehabilitation. I'm not saying it might not be true - I don't know. But I sure as heck hope not. Again, I have no problem with a very long time. But forever?
31629211 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 8:21 AM Shelly wrote ...
The little monster will eventually go on to kill people. Just kill him first to avoid that.
31627994 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 7:06 AM Mike the Conservative wrote ...
What would Jesus do?
31623534 Flag for moderationThursday, Nov 5 at 6:55 AM jenni wrote ...
Chance after chance and excuse after excuse is afforded to too many of these monsters. He lived in a violent neighborhood, his mother didn't nurse him, he played too many video games, watched too many violent movies...Some people are just not fit to live among the rest of us and some of them start out early. I often wonder who told them it was OK to do such things? Perhaps WE do by making excuses for them.
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