Some headlines are unbelievably unbelievable. Amidst a country with a constant stream of incredible headlines this one I read recently literally made my stomach get that sick hollow feeling:
“12-Year-Old Boy Jailed for 30 Years”
My first thoughts were this must be another country, not the USA. It was not. I then went to research the issue and the more I read the sicker I felt. I can’t find where this made any big headlines either, which bothered me even more. Because of my personal experience with the justice system and my studies in the area of social issues, I knew we had big problems when it came to how many people we incarcerate and how they are treated. I knew we jailed juveniles and tried them as adults but I had not really delved into that topic in great detail. This headline drove me to learn more about yet another issue concerning how far our country has sunk into the realm of unconscionable acts: government sanctioned child abuse.
It ends up that the United States is the ONLY country that sentences juveniles to life in prison without a chance of parole. The Equal Justice Initiative states that over 2,200 juveniles are in prison for life for crimes they committed as children. All of these cases do not involve crimes committed on the cusp of adulthood… as this most recent case shows. We’re talking 11 and 12 year olds in some cases. Children who commit violent acts need help and treatment, not imprisonment where they fall prey to all kinds of abuse, especially sexual. Most of these kids have already experienced abuse of some kind which was a catalyst for their actions.
This is one of those issues where I expect to see society rise up in outrage en masse, and take to the streets in protest, writing and calling the President, politicians, senators, congressmen…. etc. etc. etc. Then, as I read some of the comments posted online about this issue I got a rude awakening as to how many think kids who commit certain acts should be imprisoned for life. And back comes my despair as to how far removed we are from the ideals we espouse.
http://apainfultruth.com/2011/08/22/putting-children-in-prison-were-1
