LogFAQs > #928567911

mrduckbear posted...

Do you think a 9 y/o is capable of committing first degree murder?

Probably.

mrduckbear posted...

The suspect is not being named and said if the child is convicted, will be placed on probation for at least 5 years but not beyond the age of 21 and would likely receive counseling.

He should be monitored up until 21. That's some serious shit.

Kerr Avon posted...

Some people seem to be missing the point here; the question is, is a nine year old capable, mentally and morally speaking, of being responsible for literal murder. Not can he physically perform an act that leads to deliberate loss of life (any human from a toddler upwards can accidentally kill someone), but can he understand what is going to be the actual result, and that the result is final and irreversible?

I don't have a lot of experience with kids (none of my own, I'm not from a large family, I'm not too sociable, etc), so I'm not speaking as an expert or anytying, but I would say that at nine years old, unless the boy in question has mental problems, then yes, if he commits murder then he would know what he was doing and should be treated as a murderer.

The problem with that approach is that young kids will have a greatly reduced understanding and, more importantly, have less-developed impulse control. Children frequently do things so horrid as to shock adults because they just haven't fully developed to the point where that behavior seems abhorrent. And kids are generally less able to stop and think before they do something.
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