Re: Shawny’s concerns about Victorian and Australian Governments
Reply #161 –
I imagine that most folk were shocked at the report of the 11 year old boy stabbing the 8 year old at school. What a terrible experience for the two children, their classmates, the teachers and the families. But then, when you think about it, there over 380,000 children attending government primary schools in Victoria. One out of 380,000 isn't too shabby, particularly when you consider that more than 4,300 children and teens are shot and killed in the USA every year and over 17,000 more are shot and wounded. It is estimated that 3 million children in the US are exposed to shootings per year but successive governments there do nothing about it ... and that fruitcake Pauline Hanson tried to solicit donations from the NRA in return for watering down Australia's gun laws.
Who knows what motivated the 11 year old to do what he did? We can speculate about domestic violence, abuse, the influence of violent video games or TV programs and mental health issues. Has anyone else noticed how TV characters suffer punches, and knife and bullet wounds and carry on as if nothing is wrong? Does that unrealistic ability to absorb punishment give children the impression that violence doesn't really do any harm?
So why hasn't the 11 year old been charged? Quite simply, the age of criminal responsibility in Victoria is 12 (It was raised which was raised from 10 earlier this year) and the law recognises that children are unlikely to understand the impact of their actions or to comprehend criminal proceedings. Brain studies have conclusively shown that the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain responsible for risk assessment, decision making and impulse control – doesn’t fully develop until after adolescence (10–19 years) and into early adulthood (20–29 years). This developmental process means children and young people are unable to think about their actions and understand the potential consequences in the same way as adults.
I think that most of us can look back with horror at some of the things we got up to as pre-teens and teenagers. Converting spud guns to fire .22 bullets and shooting at cars on Bell Street, Coburg was not one of my brightest ideas.
Obviously steps need to be taken to understand why the eleven year old did what he did and to ensure that it doesn't happen again. I don't know how that can be done but I do know that charging him and dragging him before the courts is not the answer.
Topic: Shawny’s concerns about Victorian and Australian Governments (Read 15923 times)
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