The case of juvenile Crime has been increasing recently from 2002. In 2001 the number of criminal case is reported to be 29,077 however it sparked a 9.95% increase in 2002 to 31,971. Despite the jump, a police statement said the figures were the second lowest of the past 15 years. However, crimes related to robbery have showed the most significant increase of 62.1% in 2001.
However, the crime situation registered an improvement in 2007. Overall crime reported in 2007 fell from 33,263 to 32,796 cases when compared to 2006. Overall crime rate also fell from 756 to 715 per 100,000-population in 2007, which was the third-lowest in 20 years. Housebreaking and related crimes fell, from 1201 cases to 926 cases. In particular, the offence of housebreaking registered only 866 cases, which is the lowest in the last 20 years. Theft and related crime, which generally constitute more than half of overall crime each year, fell for the second year running from 20,301 to 19,556 cases in 2007. Which compared to 2001 has show significant improvement.
The number of arrests made by the Police increased from 19,639 to 20,107. For youth arrests, a total of 4,526 youths were arrested for crime in 2007, as compared to 4,280 in 2006. Five out of every ten youths arrested were involved in shop theft, other theft or rioting. Hence it rose to concerns of the police about the increase crime cases related to youth.
Overall crime recorded a marginal increase of 1% to 33,113 cases from 32,796 cases in 2007. The overall crime rate registered a notable decrease in 2008 – the second lowest for the past two decades. 2008 also saw the offence of housebreaking, which registered 836 cases, registering the lowest figure in the past two decades.
Violent Property Crimes, which are made up primarily of robbery cases, decreased to 962 cases in 2008 from 1,027 cases in 2007. This category refers to crimes which involve the taking of money or property by force or threat of force against the victim. Notably, there were 24 serial offenders arrested in 2008 compared to seven in 2007. The 24 serial offenders committed at least 75 robbery cases either alone or in groups at various premises type, including streets, void decks, lifts, taxis and convenience stores.
Housebreaking and Related Crimes fell to 898 cases in 2008 from 926 cases in 2007. Significantly, a total of 28 serial offenders were arrested in 2008, marking a 56% increase (or +10 persons) from the previous year. They were responsible for at least 211 cases of housebreaking.
Commercial Crimes, comprising mainly cheating and related offences, registered a drop to 3,488 cases in 2008 compared to the 3,565 cases in 2007.
Miscellaneous Crimes, which comprise various offences such as vandalism, trespassing and disorderly behavior, registered 3,454 cases in 2008, a decrease from 3,609 cases in 2007.
Crimes against Persons, which refers to crimes where the victim is an individual and suffers bodily harm as a result of the crime, increased in 2008, with 4,393 cases compared to 4,113 in 2007. The increase can be attributed to more cases of Criminal Force/Assault (increase of 169 cases), and Statutory Rape/Carnal Connection (increase of 94 cases). Notably, murder, which also falls under this category, also rose from 18 to 25 cases in 2008, all of which were isolated and unrelated.
However, it is significant to note that the two major offences of outrage of modesty and rioting, under the crime class of Crimes against Persons, fell by 103 and 15 cases respectively.
Theft and Related Crimes registered 19,918 cases in 2008, an increase from the 19,556 cases in 2007. The major sub-categories which saw increases were motor vehicle theft, theft of bicycles, theft of motor vehicle component parts, theft from motor vehicles, shop theft and theft in dwelling.
The overall crime situation in Singapore remains under control for 2009, with the number of overall crime cases decreasing by 0.4% as compared to the previous year. Four of the six crime classes1 recorded decreases in 2009 vis-à-vis last year, with significant decreases noted for Violent Property Crimes, a 22.1% decrease and Miscellaneous Crimes, an 11.3% decrease.
Crimes against Persons, which refers to crimes where the victim suffers bodily harm as a result of the crime, fell in 2009, with 4,370 cases compared to 4,393 in 2008. The decrease can be attributed mainly to a fall in the number of murder and rioting cases recorded in 2009 as compared to 2008, from 25 to 19 cases (or -24%) and 358 to 283 cases (or -20.9%) respectively.
Violent Property Crimes, which refers to crimes which involve the taking of money or property by force or threat of force, decreased to 749 cases in 2009 from 962 cases in 2008. The decrease can be attributed mainly to a fall in the number of robbery cases recorded in 2009 as compared to 2008, from 929 to 713 cases (or -23.3%).
Commercial Crimes, comprising mainly cheating and related offences, registered a drop to 3,357 cases in 2009 compared to the 3,488 cases in 2008. This is largely due to the successful efforts of the police in raising public awareness against the various types of cheating scams complemented by the support of various stakeholders such as banks and financial institutions in combating such scams.
Miscellaneous Crimes registered 3,064 cases in 2009, a decrease from 3,454 cases in 2008. Decreases were registered in various offences such as affray, disorderly behavior and trespassing.
Two of the six crime classes registered increases in 2009 compared to 2008. They are namely:
Housebreaking and Related Crimes increased to 1,026 cases in 2009 from a record low of 898 cases in 2008. The rise in cases is largely attributed to break-ins at HDB residential units, where many units were secured with poor quality locks that could be easily cut opened and at education/care centers, where some were not secured with security alarm systems. Nevertheless, a total of 25 serial offenders responsible for at least 261 cases of housebreaking were also arrested in 2009.
Theft and Related Crimes registered 20,402 cases in 2009, an increase from the 19,918 cases in 2008. The main sub-categories which saw increases within this Crime Class were bicycle theft, shop theft and theft in public areas.
The Police will continue to adopt a holistic view to keep crime under control. Apart from rigorous enforcement, community engagement remains an important component in the overall strategy to combat crime.
Police will also continue to enhance our investigative and law enforcement capabilities in our fight against crime. In addition to leveraging on technology and forensic evidence in crime solving, Police also works closely with other agencies to holistically tackle crime. This close collaboration contributed to the successful dragnet operation conducted in Geylang in January 2010, where 170 persons were arrested for various criminal offences. Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Senior Assistant Commissioner Ng Boon Gay added, “We strive to constantly enhance our enforcement and investigative capabilities to suit the needs of the times. For example, the recently launched Casino Crime Investigation Branch (CCIB) will work closely with other existing specialist investigation units and the relevant police Land Divisions towards a crime free gaming environment when the casinos open their doors."
For maximum public outreach, Police will continue to explore new avenues such as leveraging on new media channels like online forums, the SPF Facebook, YouTube, and Razor TV ‘i-witness’ program.
Director of Public Affairs, Assistant Commissioner Ng Guat Ting said, “Singapore remains a safe place to live and work in but we need the community to continue to remain vigilant and to work with the Police to ensure the continued safety and security of Singapore.” (Tabulated crime data below)
Breakdown of Overall Crime in 2008/ 2009
--------------------------------------2008------2009------(-/+)--------%
OVERALL CRIME------------------33,113---32,968---(-145)----(-0.4)
Crimes Against Persons-------------4,393-----4,370----(-23)-----(-0.5)
Violent Property Crimes-------------962-------749-----(-213)----(-22.1)
Housebreaking and Related Crimes--898-----1,026----(128)-----(14.3)
Theft and Related Crimes-----------19,918----20,402---(484)-----(2.4)
Commercial Crimes-----------------3,488-----3,357-----(-131)----(-3.8)
Miscellaneous Crimes---------------3,454------3,064-----(-390)---(-11.3)
(sorry for the lousy tabulated data its suppose to be a table but this blog thingy cant draw it out....)
-Louis Gan (10s25)
Showing posts with label juvenile crimes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label juvenile crimes. Show all posts
Boy, 14, charged as adult in clothes-dryer murder of 4-year-old
A 14-year-old suspect in the murder of a 4-year-old boy found drowned and then stuffed into a clothes dryer in Mendota, California, has been charged as an adult, authorities said Tuesday.
Fresno County, California, District Attorney Elizabeth A. Egan said Raul Renato Castro was charged with special circumstances, including murder during a child molestation, sodomy, kidnapping and murder of a witness to prevent testimony.
Castro faces separate felony charges of kidnapping, sodomy and child molestation, Egan said.
Under California law, a 14-year-old is not eligible for the death penalty or a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, according to a statement from Egan's office. If found guilty, the boy could receive no more than 32 years to life plus 15 years.
The incident began Friday afternoon, when Alex Christopher Mercato's parents discovered that the child, who had been playing outside their house, was missing, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims told reporters Monday.
The parents called police, who began to search the neighborhood and nearby parks in Mendota, 33 miles west of Fresno, she said. Soon, the FBI was called in.
On Saturday, authorities resumed the search door-to-door. They did not have to go far. In the house next door to the Mercatos, authorities discovered the boy's body stuffed inside a dryer in a closet, Mims said. An autopsy determined he had drowned.
The teenager, who had been the only member of his family who was at home on Friday afternoon, was arrested and booked into the juvenile justice center, Mims said.
Castro is the sole suspect in the case, she said. He is to be arraigned Wednesday in Fresno County Superior Court.
Fresno County, California, District Attorney Elizabeth A. Egan said Raul Renato Castro was charged with special circumstances, including murder during a child molestation, sodomy, kidnapping and murder of a witness to prevent testimony.
Castro faces separate felony charges of kidnapping, sodomy and child molestation, Egan said.
Under California law, a 14-year-old is not eligible for the death penalty or a sentence of life without the possibility of parole, according to a statement from Egan's office. If found guilty, the boy could receive no more than 32 years to life plus 15 years.
The incident began Friday afternoon, when Alex Christopher Mercato's parents discovered that the child, who had been playing outside their house, was missing, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims told reporters Monday.
The parents called police, who began to search the neighborhood and nearby parks in Mendota, 33 miles west of Fresno, she said. Soon, the FBI was called in.
On Saturday, authorities resumed the search door-to-door. They did not have to go far. In the house next door to the Mercatos, authorities discovered the boy's body stuffed inside a dryer in a closet, Mims said. An autopsy determined he had drowned.
The teenager, who had been the only member of his family who was at home on Friday afternoon, was arrested and booked into the juvenile justice center, Mims said.
Castro is the sole suspect in the case, she said. He is to be arraigned Wednesday in Fresno County Superior Court.
Abused girl, 14, gets probation for killing her father
Fourteen-year-old Rachel Booth could have gone to trial in juvenile court to try to prove that a lifetime of abuse led her to kill her father last summer with a shotgun blast to the face.
Instead, the Elizabeth Township girl opted for a less-traumatic solution -- a deal that keeps her out of jail.
Rachel was adjudicated delinquent Wednesday on a misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter. She may remain under supervision by Allegheny County Juvenile Probation until she is 21. However, if she does well, the case could be expunged from her record in a matter of months.
Defense attorney Patrick Nightingale and Deputy District Attorney Eric Woltshock presented the deal at a routine dependency hearing before Common Pleas Judge Kathryn M. Hens-Greco.
Mr. Nightingale said Rachel was elated at the resolution and relieved she would not go to jail. He said the once-undernourished child has gained weight and her spirits have lifted over the past several months.
"The district attorney's office has been very progressive and enlightened regarding this issue. We're grateful to the DA's office for understanding that even though my client committed a very serious offense, she was also a victim and endured substantial and repeated trauma at the hands of her father," Mr. Nightingale said.
Spokesman Mike Manko said the district attorney's office was not permitted to comment due to the age of the child and the nature of the proceedings.
At the time of her father's shooting, Rachel was a 13-year-old home-schooled student and a baby-sitter in her neighborhood. Whatever her father, Matthew J. Booth, 34, demanded of her she did, running errands or dropping whatever she was doing to answer his call.
An avid hunter, he taught her how to use a shotgun. Their relationship seemed so close that one neighbor had the impression that Rachel was her father's wife.
But neighbors said they also suspected Rachel was being sexually abused by her father.
Suzanne Gruber, who lives across the street from the Booth home in the Boston section of Elizabeth Township, said she could hear Rachel screaming some nights: "No, daddy! No! I'm sorry."
The girl told police and neighbors that her father had raped her repeatedly since she was 7.
Rachel was born Nov. 24, 1993, less than a year after her older brother, Matthew Jr.
Their parents were McKeesport natives.
Michelle Fazek was not yet 20; Mr. Booth, a year older, had joined the Army but washed out after a shoulder injury.
The couple began living together in 1991 on Beale Street in McKeesport. Their relationship was volatile.
Court records show that over the years, Ms. Fazek filed for several protection-from-abuse orders against him, starting in 1997.
He also filed once against her, claiming she abused alcohol and had a mental illness.
They had three children together and were living as a family until 2005, when Ms. Fazek filed a PFA petition against Mr. Booth saying he had threatened her with a shotgun.
The parents agreed to share custody of the three children. The older two would remain with Mr. Booth; the youngest child, Elizabeth, would live with her mother.
Early in the morning of July 30, police said, Rachel took her father's 12-gauge shotgun and shot him in the face while he slept on a downstairs couch.
Police said they found several animals in the house, which was littered with pet feces. At least four dogs, four cats, rabbits and other pets were taken by animal control officers.
The house was later demolished.
Following the shooting, Rachel spent four nights in the Allegheny County Jail before being transferred to Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Oakland.
Judge Kathleen Mulligan, administrative judge in the Family Division, authorized Rachel's commitment for another 20 days of treatment and examination.
Rachel was later placed in a residential facility. Judge Hens-Greco determined that Rachel's brother, Matthew Jr., should live with his paternal grandparents.
Rachel's mother has visited her regularly and attended the dependency hearing at which Rachel's case was resolved.
"As a family, we're doing much better," she said, but said her daughter's "road to recovery is going to be a long one."
She said the incident has had a deep impact on her younger daughter and "she is getting good help" at the facility where she is being treated.
Ms. Gruber, her former neighbor, said she spoke with Rachel by phone a couple of times in recent months and "she seemed a lot more calm."
Federal grants fund effort to reduce juvenile crime in county, state
The Missouri Department of Public Safety has awarded a total of $1.5 million in federal grant funding to 25 community and state agencies, including several in Boone County.
The funding will be used to reduce juvenile crime and to develop delinquency and treatment programs.
To apply for the grants, agencies across Missouri submitted applications outlining programs they sought to create or enhance with the funding.
A review panel consisting of representatives of the Missouri Department of Public Safety and experts in the fields of social service and juvenile justice reviewed the applications and made recommendations on which agencies should receive the grants.
In Boone County, the Robert L. Perry Juvenile Justice Center received $20,638 for its accountability programs and services. It uses cognitive behavioral intervention-based classes to enhance the ability of youths at the center to make good choices and react to situations appropriately.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Central Missouri received $32,202 for its Mentoring Rural Missouri Youth program, aimed at providing weekly mentoring for children of single parents, prisoners and foster children. And the Columbia Housing Authority received $54,930 for its Moving Ahead II program, which will provide one full-time liaison to provide case management for residents and tutoring for at-risk students.
The Callaway County Juvenile Office received $37,317 for developing its 13th Circuit Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative program. The 13th judicial circuit also includes Boone County.
Mike O’Connell, communications director for the Missouri Department of Public Safety, said the grants will reimburse the agencies for their costs.
The agencies will submit their expenses monthly to receive refunds, he said.
The grant period runs from October to Sept. 30. Programs will be monitored to ensure grantees comply with each program’s guidelines.
The funding will be used to reduce juvenile crime and to develop delinquency and treatment programs.
To apply for the grants, agencies across Missouri submitted applications outlining programs they sought to create or enhance with the funding.
A review panel consisting of representatives of the Missouri Department of Public Safety and experts in the fields of social service and juvenile justice reviewed the applications and made recommendations on which agencies should receive the grants.
In Boone County, the Robert L. Perry Juvenile Justice Center received $20,638 for its accountability programs and services. It uses cognitive behavioral intervention-based classes to enhance the ability of youths at the center to make good choices and react to situations appropriately.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Central Missouri received $32,202 for its Mentoring Rural Missouri Youth program, aimed at providing weekly mentoring for children of single parents, prisoners and foster children. And the Columbia Housing Authority received $54,930 for its Moving Ahead II program, which will provide one full-time liaison to provide case management for residents and tutoring for at-risk students.
The Callaway County Juvenile Office received $37,317 for developing its 13th Circuit Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative program. The 13th judicial circuit also includes Boone County.
Mike O’Connell, communications director for the Missouri Department of Public Safety, said the grants will reimburse the agencies for their costs.
The agencies will submit their expenses monthly to receive refunds, he said.
The grant period runs from October to Sept. 30. Programs will be monitored to ensure grantees comply with each program’s guidelines.
Teen Girls Face Hate Crime Charges Over Anti-Gay Flier
WOODSTOCK, Ill. — A pair of 16-year-old girls face hate crime charges after they allegedly handed out anti-gay fliers targeting a classmate at their northern Illinois high school.
The girls were arrested May 11 after handing out fliers in the parking lot of Crystal Lake South High School that depict a male student kissing another boy and contain hateful language about gays.
Officials say the fliers targeted a male classmate, who is also a neighbor of the girls. The two girls had apparently been feuding with the boy.
Earlier today, a judge rejected bond for one of the girls, citing her home environment and already lengthy juvenile record — 13 run-ins with the cops. Instead of home detention, the girl will be held at the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center while the case is pending, according to the Daily Herald.
Within the past year, the girl has been charged for marijuana possession, driving without a license, consumption of alcohol by a minor, possession of tobacco by a minor, trespassing and three curfew violations, according to McHenry County court records.
The second girl was allowed home detention. She will be electronically monitored and will be allowed to leave her home only for school, counseling, work or other activities approved by her probation officer.
Two separate trials are to be held — the first girl's trial is set to begin next week while the second girl's trial could be far off. Her lawyer has filed to dismiss the charges.
“I believe it more attacks the speech, and at this point, they haven’t shown what conduct was truly disorderly,” her attorney, Charles McKenney, told the Herald. “The issue should be her conduct, not the content of the flier.
If found guilty, the girls could face up to 30 days in juvenile detention, probation or an unspecified sentence with the Illinois Department of Corrections' youth division.
Both girls have been suspended from school as a result, authorities said Tuesday, and likely will not be allowed back until at least the next school year.
The girls were arrested May 11 after handing out fliers in the parking lot of Crystal Lake South High School that depict a male student kissing another boy and contain hateful language about gays.
Officials say the fliers targeted a male classmate, who is also a neighbor of the girls. The two girls had apparently been feuding with the boy.
Earlier today, a judge rejected bond for one of the girls, citing her home environment and already lengthy juvenile record — 13 run-ins with the cops. Instead of home detention, the girl will be held at the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center while the case is pending, according to the Daily Herald.
Within the past year, the girl has been charged for marijuana possession, driving without a license, consumption of alcohol by a minor, possession of tobacco by a minor, trespassing and three curfew violations, according to McHenry County court records.
The second girl was allowed home detention. She will be electronically monitored and will be allowed to leave her home only for school, counseling, work or other activities approved by her probation officer.
Two separate trials are to be held — the first girl's trial is set to begin next week while the second girl's trial could be far off. Her lawyer has filed to dismiss the charges.
“I believe it more attacks the speech, and at this point, they haven’t shown what conduct was truly disorderly,” her attorney, Charles McKenney, told the Herald. “The issue should be her conduct, not the content of the flier.
If found guilty, the girls could face up to 30 days in juvenile detention, probation or an unspecified sentence with the Illinois Department of Corrections' youth division.
Both girls have been suspended from school as a result, authorities said Tuesday, and likely will not be allowed back until at least the next school year.
Giving young offenders another chance
THE SCIENCE is now undisputed: Adolescents' brains make them more impetuous, more susceptible to peer pressure, and less able to make good decisions. This lessens their culpability for the crimes they commit.
But adolescents' brains also make it easier for them to change, and to be rehabilitated.
The question before the U.S. Supreme Court - and the country as a whole - is whether to follow the science or cling to "throw away the key" policies that have filled our prisons with many young people who could, if given the chance, be rehabilitated and go on to lead productive lives.
The court last week held hearings on whether it violates the Eighth Amendment against "cruel and unusual punishment" to sentence adolescents to life without parole for crimes other than murder. The United States is the only country that does this. There are 109 such prisoners nationwide, 77 in Florida.
But the case before the court is only one aspect of a national conversation that is proceeding about how to treat juveniles charged with crimes. This includes the 2005 Roper v. Simmons decision in which the court ruled 5-4 that juveniles should be excluded from the death penalty. It continues with hearings held last summer before the Judiciary Committee on a bill that would require states to grant parole hearings after 15 years to prisoners sentenced to life without parole for crimes committed as juveniles.
It also includes two bills and a resolution introduced into the Pennsylvania House of Representatives this fall. One, sponsored by state Rep. Kenyatta Johnson, D-Phila., would end the life-without-parole sentence for juveniles and grant parole hearings to the 450 prisoners now serving life without parole for crimes committed as juveniles- the largest number in the world.
None of these bills suggest that juveniles who commit crimes should not be incarcerated, but that they should not be deprived of all hope of release. Much of the research on adolescents and crime has been done by Temple University psychology professor Laurence Steinberg, who this week was awarded a $1 million prize from a Swiss philanthropic organization to continue his work.
Steinberg's research, among other scientific findings listed in a friend-of-the-court brief filed by the Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Center, provides strong pushback against the fad of recent years to try children as adults. The research counters the idea that screams out at us from TV dramas or from people who want to establish their crime-fighting bona fides by giving up on young people.
For example:
* Adolescents who are violent in their teen years are not necessarily destined for lives of crime. Far from being irredeemable, juvenile offenders often "grow out of" criminality, even without being arrested or punished first. One study found that 30 percent of boys who were examined had committed one or more violent acts by age 18 - for which few were arrested. Yet more than than three-fourths had stopped being violent by the time they reached 21 and beyond.
* The possibility of being locked away the rest of their lives does not deter juvenile crime. The same impulsiveness documented in brain studies explains why teenagers wouldn't stop to think of the legal consequences before they acted.
* It turns out that, even without the science, the founders of the juvenile-justice system got it right 100 years ago. Juvenile court held adolescents accountable for their actions, but provided at least one more chance to set their lives right. Juvenile offenders should get the chance at parole, and redemption; we hope the court concurs. *
But adolescents' brains also make it easier for them to change, and to be rehabilitated.
The question before the U.S. Supreme Court - and the country as a whole - is whether to follow the science or cling to "throw away the key" policies that have filled our prisons with many young people who could, if given the chance, be rehabilitated and go on to lead productive lives.
The court last week held hearings on whether it violates the Eighth Amendment against "cruel and unusual punishment" to sentence adolescents to life without parole for crimes other than murder. The United States is the only country that does this. There are 109 such prisoners nationwide, 77 in Florida.
But the case before the court is only one aspect of a national conversation that is proceeding about how to treat juveniles charged with crimes. This includes the 2005 Roper v. Simmons decision in which the court ruled 5-4 that juveniles should be excluded from the death penalty. It continues with hearings held last summer before the Judiciary Committee on a bill that would require states to grant parole hearings after 15 years to prisoners sentenced to life without parole for crimes committed as juveniles.
It also includes two bills and a resolution introduced into the Pennsylvania House of Representatives this fall. One, sponsored by state Rep. Kenyatta Johnson, D-Phila., would end the life-without-parole sentence for juveniles and grant parole hearings to the 450 prisoners now serving life without parole for crimes committed as juveniles- the largest number in the world.
None of these bills suggest that juveniles who commit crimes should not be incarcerated, but that they should not be deprived of all hope of release. Much of the research on adolescents and crime has been done by Temple University psychology professor Laurence Steinberg, who this week was awarded a $1 million prize from a Swiss philanthropic organization to continue his work.
Steinberg's research, among other scientific findings listed in a friend-of-the-court brief filed by the Philadelphia-based Juvenile Law Center, provides strong pushback against the fad of recent years to try children as adults. The research counters the idea that screams out at us from TV dramas or from people who want to establish their crime-fighting bona fides by giving up on young people.
For example:
* Adolescents who are violent in their teen years are not necessarily destined for lives of crime. Far from being irredeemable, juvenile offenders often "grow out of" criminality, even without being arrested or punished first. One study found that 30 percent of boys who were examined had committed one or more violent acts by age 18 - for which few were arrested. Yet more than than three-fourths had stopped being violent by the time they reached 21 and beyond.
* The possibility of being locked away the rest of their lives does not deter juvenile crime. The same impulsiveness documented in brain studies explains why teenagers wouldn't stop to think of the legal consequences before they acted.
* It turns out that, even without the science, the founders of the juvenile-justice system got it right 100 years ago. Juvenile court held adolescents accountable for their actions, but provided at least one more chance to set their lives right. Juvenile offenders should get the chance at parole, and redemption; we hope the court concurs. *
Fake IDs, real consequences
Using a fake ID for liquor or cigarettes seems so minor it can hardly be called a crime. Almost nobody gets caught, and the worst that happens is you get thrown out of the store or bar. Right?
Wrong.
True this isn't the biggest crime that can be committed. It's certainly not a violent crime. It's not the same as dealing drugs or smuggling guns. However, it is a misdemeanor offense. In the U.S., penalties vary from state to state, but can include jail time, fines, community service, and suspension of your (real) driver's license. Bar and store owners often confiscate suspected IDs, and may display them publicly. There's your face hanging out there for public humiliation.
In some states, the use of a fake driver's license has been made into a felony. A felony is more serious than a misdemeanor. In the short term, it means more jail time, higher fines, and years-long suspension of driving privileges. In the long term, a felony means you now have a criminal record. That will make it much harder for you to find a job, it can mean difficulties getting into school, and you may never be allowed to own a gun or vote.
Perhaps the consequences are meaningless if you can't get caught. There's certainly no way to know how many get caught, but don't doubt for a second that it happens. Bar owners and employees get very good at spotting fake IDs. They have to. Their business depends on it (more about that later). The same applies to stores selling tobacco. They might just chase you out, but they may post your fake for public consumption, and they may even turn it over to the police. Police confiscate the things on a regular basis, and once they have it, prosecution is sure to follow. You could be looking at months in jail, and hundreds of dollars in fines, especially for a repeat offense. You might think the police have other things to worry about, and in some places that may be true. However, in areas with large amounts of underage drinking, like near college campuses, underage drinking and ID laws is often a focus of law enforcement.
Also be aware the having the fake ID is just one offense. You open yourself to other charges like possession of alcohol and providing alcohol to other minors. Going to jail could set back your schooling and cost you your job (what do you expect when you can't get to class or to work?). Losing your license may mean court costs when you get your license reinstated, plus the suspension on your driving record will drive up your insurance costs for years to come. This is on top of fines.
Making an ID is tougher than people who tell you how make it sound. The equipment to make something good is very expensive. Holograms and magnetic strips are very difficult to produce passably. Those that sell IDs always swear they're very good quality, hard to catch, and maybe even come with guarantees and testimonials. However, they're probably not any better. What's more, since these are people who have little respect for the law, don't be surprised when they take your money and give you crap or nothing at all. They can get away with it because you can't exactly complain to the police. Your money is just gone.
Be aware that the law doesn't apply only to fake IDs. It includes real IDs borrowed from someone old enough who looks somewhat like you, real IDs that have been altered, or real IDs obtained with fake documents, like using a fake birth certificate to get a driver's license.
If you're unconcerned about the trouble you might make for yourself, consider the trouble you make for others. The maker of the fake ID has committed a felony, and you can bet that the law will want to know where your fake came from. The person who lends their ID to you will suffer all the legal problems you do. Even if they don't know what you plan to do, just letting someone else use an ID is illegal. The bar owner who lets you in, unless a court or the police decide the fake was so good there's no way the owner could know the difference, also faces fines, suspension (being forced to close temporarily, which means losing business, which will put a business under if it happens enough), and outright revocation of the liquor license. That means the bar is out of business. It has happened to bars with chronic problems with underage drinkers. Even if the business doesn't go under, employees who sell liquor and cigarettes can be fined and even fired for failing to spot a minor.
In other words, besides the consequences for yourself, you can get other people fined, jailed, fired, and put out of business. Not exactly a victimless crime.
Juvenile delinquency on the rise in Maldives
A report from Children’s Court of Maldives reveals that there has been an increase in juvenile delinquency in Maldives in this year compared with 2008 figures.
In the year 2008, 62 cases of juvenile delinquency were submitted to the court while so far this year 100 cases can been submitted.
The report also shows that a large number of these cases were related to drug abuse. This year alone, 24 cases related to drug abuse were submitted. This is a 20% increase from last year.
Addressing the rise of juvenile delinquency, Commissioner of Maldives Police Service Ahmed Faseeh said that juvenile crime and children’s participation in the criminal activities was on the rise because there are adults who abuse the protection given by the constitution to people under the age of 18 as it classifies under 18 year olds as children.
Answering a question put forward by Miadhu, a counselor said that one reason that there was a rise in children’s involvement in illegal drug related cases was because children are used in drug dealing and trafficking and that through this these children are introduced and later become interested in using drugs.
Stating a second reason, counselor said that there were cases where children of drug abusive parents fall into the same habit.
In Maldives, there are two juvenile reformatory centers at Kaafu Atoll Maafushi called Education and Vocational Training Center for Children (ETCC). It was established in 1979. The center which now had a capacity of 84 children has 54 children living there. Almost all children at the Center are of age 9 to 18 years and all of them are boys.
The second one is Juvenile Training Centre in Feydhoofinolhu in Kaafu Atoll and was opened this year. This center is to reform minors at risk of becoming repeat offenders.
In the year 2008, 62 cases of juvenile delinquency were submitted to the court while so far this year 100 cases can been submitted.
The report also shows that a large number of these cases were related to drug abuse. This year alone, 24 cases related to drug abuse were submitted. This is a 20% increase from last year.
Addressing the rise of juvenile delinquency, Commissioner of Maldives Police Service Ahmed Faseeh said that juvenile crime and children’s participation in the criminal activities was on the rise because there are adults who abuse the protection given by the constitution to people under the age of 18 as it classifies under 18 year olds as children.
Answering a question put forward by Miadhu, a counselor said that one reason that there was a rise in children’s involvement in illegal drug related cases was because children are used in drug dealing and trafficking and that through this these children are introduced and later become interested in using drugs.
Stating a second reason, counselor said that there were cases where children of drug abusive parents fall into the same habit.
In Maldives, there are two juvenile reformatory centers at Kaafu Atoll Maafushi called Education and Vocational Training Center for Children (ETCC). It was established in 1979. The center which now had a capacity of 84 children has 54 children living there. Almost all children at the Center are of age 9 to 18 years and all of them are boys.
The second one is Juvenile Training Centre in Feydhoofinolhu in Kaafu Atoll and was opened this year. This center is to reform minors at risk of becoming repeat offenders.
Teenage crime gang locked up
Eight youths who committed more than 90 offences in the space of 13 months have been sentenced to a total of almost 16 years in detention in Scotland.
A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh said their crimes painted "an appalling picture of lawlessness".
The sheriff at Elgin Sheriff Court had referred the eight to the high court after deciding that his punishment powers were inadequate.
The people of these areas have been quite simply terrorised by you, sometimes acting alone, sometimes acting together.
Lord Abernethy The offences in the Highland towns of Elgin and Lossiemouth included car theft, house breaking, vandalism and assault between January 2001 and March 2002.
The teenagers' individual sentences ranged from five years to five months in a young offenders' institution.
Lord Abernethy told them: "The people of these areas have been quite simply terrorised by you, sometimes acting alone, sometimes acting together."
He said it was a "disturbing aspect" of the case that the offences were often committed after they had taken drugs and indulged in under-age drinking.
The heaviest sentence of five years' detention was imposed on 16-year-old Kris Orton, who admitted 16 offences.
The most serious offences included robbery, what the judge described as "cowardly and vicious assaults" on two pensioners and a threat to petrol bomb the home of a sheriff.
Lord Abernethy said he had carried out "a shocking catalogue of offending with no excuse of justification whatever".
A 14-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to three years for a total of 32 offences - mostly committed at the age of 13.
"That is a truly shocking situation," commented the judge.
The other sentences were:
28 months for William Christie, 16, of Ontario Court, Elgin. He admitted 10 charges, including assault and robbery, vandalism, break-in and theft
21 months for Bruce Scott, 16, who admitted 16 charges. Most were in connection with vehicles, including theft, intent to steal and driving without a licence
15 months for Bryan McNeill, 16, of Beechfield Road, Elgin, who admitted six charges, including break-ins, breach of the peace and possession of a knife
15 months for Sean Young, 16, of Fairisle Place, Lossiemouth, who admitted seven charges including break-ins, theft and vandalism
Nine months for Hugh Wilson, 17, from Llanbryde, who admitted three charges including possession of a knife
Five months for Calum Wilson, 19, who admitted a single charge - breaking into a house in Lossiemouth.
The list of 91 offences is thought to have been one of the longest to go before a Scottish court.
The cost of the police operation could be as high as £250,000 - but the Grampian force said it was very pleased with the sentences.
Inspector David Jenkins said there had been a noticeable reduction in crime in the area since the youths had been taken into custody.
Kris Orton was sentenced to five years. He explained that a strategy had been adopted which enabled to youths to be brought to court together on one large indictment rather than being dealt with by the courts in a "piecemeal" fashion.
Elgin Community Council chairwoman Roma Hossack said: "I hope that what the sheriff and the judge have done will send a signal to the youngsters out there."
On Thursday, lawyers for the youths failed in an attempt to have them freed on a technicality.
Their argument related to the wording of an indictment - even though the teenagers had pleaded guilty.
However, Lord Abernethy said he did not have the power to consider the matter.
The legal issue is expected to be challenged on appeal.
A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh said their crimes painted "an appalling picture of lawlessness".
The sheriff at Elgin Sheriff Court had referred the eight to the high court after deciding that his punishment powers were inadequate.
The people of these areas have been quite simply terrorised by you, sometimes acting alone, sometimes acting together.
Lord Abernethy The offences in the Highland towns of Elgin and Lossiemouth included car theft, house breaking, vandalism and assault between January 2001 and March 2002.
The teenagers' individual sentences ranged from five years to five months in a young offenders' institution.
Lord Abernethy told them: "The people of these areas have been quite simply terrorised by you, sometimes acting alone, sometimes acting together."
He said it was a "disturbing aspect" of the case that the offences were often committed after they had taken drugs and indulged in under-age drinking.
The heaviest sentence of five years' detention was imposed on 16-year-old Kris Orton, who admitted 16 offences.
The most serious offences included robbery, what the judge described as "cowardly and vicious assaults" on two pensioners and a threat to petrol bomb the home of a sheriff.
Lord Abernethy said he had carried out "a shocking catalogue of offending with no excuse of justification whatever".
A 14-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was sentenced to three years for a total of 32 offences - mostly committed at the age of 13.
"That is a truly shocking situation," commented the judge.
The other sentences were:
28 months for William Christie, 16, of Ontario Court, Elgin. He admitted 10 charges, including assault and robbery, vandalism, break-in and theft
21 months for Bruce Scott, 16, who admitted 16 charges. Most were in connection with vehicles, including theft, intent to steal and driving without a licence
15 months for Bryan McNeill, 16, of Beechfield Road, Elgin, who admitted six charges, including break-ins, breach of the peace and possession of a knife
15 months for Sean Young, 16, of Fairisle Place, Lossiemouth, who admitted seven charges including break-ins, theft and vandalism
Nine months for Hugh Wilson, 17, from Llanbryde, who admitted three charges including possession of a knife
Five months for Calum Wilson, 19, who admitted a single charge - breaking into a house in Lossiemouth.
The list of 91 offences is thought to have been one of the longest to go before a Scottish court.
The cost of the police operation could be as high as £250,000 - but the Grampian force said it was very pleased with the sentences.
Inspector David Jenkins said there had been a noticeable reduction in crime in the area since the youths had been taken into custody.
Kris Orton was sentenced to five years. He explained that a strategy had been adopted which enabled to youths to be brought to court together on one large indictment rather than being dealt with by the courts in a "piecemeal" fashion.
Elgin Community Council chairwoman Roma Hossack said: "I hope that what the sheriff and the judge have done will send a signal to the youngsters out there."
On Thursday, lawyers for the youths failed in an attempt to have them freed on a technicality.
Their argument related to the wording of an indictment - even though the teenagers had pleaded guilty.
However, Lord Abernethy said he did not have the power to consider the matter.
The legal issue is expected to be challenged on appeal.
Exposure to Gun Violence Increases Teen Violence
Exposure to gun violence makes adolescents twice as likely to perpetrate serious violence in the next two years, according to a University of Michigan study. Researchers found there is a substantial cause and effect relationship between exposure and perpetration of violence.
Jeffrey B. Bingenheimer, a doctoral student in health behavior and health education, analyzed five years of data from adolescents living in 78 neighborhoods in Chicago. Bingenheimer is lead author on a paper in this week's journal Science.
Using a statistical method called propensity stratification, Bingenheimer and coauthors Robert Brennan and Felton Earls aimed to establish a firm cause and effect relationship between exposure to gun violence and later perpetrating violence.
"We wanted to know whether these just tend to occur in the same populations or if one actually caused the other," Bingenheimer said. "These findings suggest there is a substantial cause and effect relationship between exposure and perpetration. Violence can be transmitted from person to person by means of exposure in the community."
Bingenheimer used data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, a longitudinal study that conducted extensive interviews with more than 6,000 young people and their primary care givers on everything from reading proficiency to family members with legal problems to delinquency in their peer groups. Bingenheimer used data from about 1,500 adolescents who were within six months of their 12th or 15th birthday at the time of their first interview.
The project is based at Harvard University, with involvement from Columbia University, Emory University, Johns Hopkins, and Pennsylvania State University, among others. Brennan and Earls are faculty members at Harvard.
Propensity Stratification
Bingenheimer said many researchers have looked at how violence begets violence. His use of the complex statistical approaches he learned from Raudenbush help make this paper unique.
While many investigations, such as clinical trials of new drugs, use randomized experiments to test effects, that is not possible in a real-life situation like examining the effects of gun violence. So instead they looked at information provided in questionnaires and used propensity stratification to simulate randomization as best they could.
Overall, Bingenheimer found that adolescents who were exposed to firearm violence were nearly four times as likely as unexposed adolescents to perpetrate violence over the next two years.
Elevated Rates of Violence
But exposed and unexposed adolescents differed on a wide range of demographic, socioeconomic, temperamental and other factors. These differences, rather than gun violence exposure itself, could account for the elevated rates of violence among exposed adolescents. Propensity stratification allowed Bingenheimer to control for the effects of more than 150 characteristics of the adolescents, their families and their neighborhoods.
Propensity stratification combines these variables into a single number, the predicted probability of being exposed to gun violence. If the association between actual exposure and perpetration persists among adolescents who had similar predicted probabilities of exposure, this is evidence of a cause and effect relationship, Bingenheimer said.
The study defined exposure to firearm violence as having been shot or shot at or seeing someone shot or shot at. It defined perpetrating violence as carrying a hidden weapon, attacking someone with a weapon, shooting someone, shooting at someone, or being in a gang fight.
Source: University of Michigan
Jeffrey B. Bingenheimer, a doctoral student in health behavior and health education, analyzed five years of data from adolescents living in 78 neighborhoods in Chicago. Bingenheimer is lead author on a paper in this week's journal Science.
Using a statistical method called propensity stratification, Bingenheimer and coauthors Robert Brennan and Felton Earls aimed to establish a firm cause and effect relationship between exposure to gun violence and later perpetrating violence.
"We wanted to know whether these just tend to occur in the same populations or if one actually caused the other," Bingenheimer said. "These findings suggest there is a substantial cause and effect relationship between exposure and perpetration. Violence can be transmitted from person to person by means of exposure in the community."
Bingenheimer used data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, a longitudinal study that conducted extensive interviews with more than 6,000 young people and their primary care givers on everything from reading proficiency to family members with legal problems to delinquency in their peer groups. Bingenheimer used data from about 1,500 adolescents who were within six months of their 12th or 15th birthday at the time of their first interview.
The project is based at Harvard University, with involvement from Columbia University, Emory University, Johns Hopkins, and Pennsylvania State University, among others. Brennan and Earls are faculty members at Harvard.
Propensity Stratification
Bingenheimer said many researchers have looked at how violence begets violence. His use of the complex statistical approaches he learned from Raudenbush help make this paper unique.
While many investigations, such as clinical trials of new drugs, use randomized experiments to test effects, that is not possible in a real-life situation like examining the effects of gun violence. So instead they looked at information provided in questionnaires and used propensity stratification to simulate randomization as best they could.
Overall, Bingenheimer found that adolescents who were exposed to firearm violence were nearly four times as likely as unexposed adolescents to perpetrate violence over the next two years.
Elevated Rates of Violence
But exposed and unexposed adolescents differed on a wide range of demographic, socioeconomic, temperamental and other factors. These differences, rather than gun violence exposure itself, could account for the elevated rates of violence among exposed adolescents. Propensity stratification allowed Bingenheimer to control for the effects of more than 150 characteristics of the adolescents, their families and their neighborhoods.
Propensity stratification combines these variables into a single number, the predicted probability of being exposed to gun violence. If the association between actual exposure and perpetration persists among adolescents who had similar predicted probabilities of exposure, this is evidence of a cause and effect relationship, Bingenheimer said.
The study defined exposure to firearm violence as having been shot or shot at or seeing someone shot or shot at. It defined perpetrating violence as carrying a hidden weapon, attacking someone with a weapon, shooting someone, shooting at someone, or being in a gang fight.
Source: University of Michigan
Happy slapping
In one video clip, labelled Bitch Slap, a youth approaches a woman at a bus stop and punches her in the face. In another, Knockout Punch, a group of boys wearing uniforms are shown leading another boy across an unidentified school playground before flooring him with a single blow to the head.
In a third, Bank Job, a teenager is seen assaulting a hole-in-the-wall customer while another youth grabs the money he has just withdrawn from the cash machine.
Welcome to the disturbing world of the "happy slappers" - a youth craze in which groups of teenagers armed with camera phones slap or mug unsuspecting children or passersby while capturing the attacks on 3g technology.
According to police and anti-bullying organisations, the fad, which began as a craze on the UK garage music scene before catching on in school playgrounds across the capital last autumn, is now a nationwide phenomenon.
And as the craze has spread from London to the home counties to the north of England, so the attacks have become more menacing, with increasing numbers of violent assaults and adult victims.
In London, British Transport police have investigated 200 happy slapping incidents in the past six months, with eight people charged with attacks at south London stations and bus stops in January alone.
The Metropolitan police have no overall figures but recorded a number of attacks in London boroughs earlier this year.
Following a spate of random attacks last December on pupils at Godolphin and Latymer girls' school in Hammersmith, west London, police posted extra officers in the area as a deterrent.
But as police have become more vigilant, so the gangs have become more sophisticated, seeking victims in parks or public areas where their crimes are unlikely to be spotted by the authorities or captured on CCTV.
Liz Carnell, the director of Bullying Online, a Yorkshire-based charity set up to combat bullying in schools, said that since the start of the year she has heard of increasing attacks both on children and on adults. But she fears many incidents are not reported.
"In most cases the worst that happens is a minor scratch or a bruised ego," she said.
"What the people behind these attacks have to understand is that technically they are committing an assault. And if they then upload the images on to the internet or a phone system they could be prosecuted for harassment."
What makes the attacks all the more bewildering is that many victims do not realise they have been happy slapped until after the event.
Earlier this month James Silver, 34, a freelance journalist, was attacked while jogging on the South Bank in London. While one youth blocked his path, another hit him with a rolled-up magazine.
When he spun around another teenager - who had been hiding behind nearby scaffolding - leapt out and hit him hard in the head. When he staggered to his feet he noticed the rest of the gang were jeering and pointing their mobile phones at him.
Silver admits that while the attack left his "ego smarting" he did not think it worth reporting. "At the end of the day I was unharmed but it was pretty shocking at the time," he said. "The worry is that while the bulk of the attacks are trivial, some of these youths could be carrying knives."
Earlier this year, schools in Lewisham, south London, and St Albans banned camera phones because of worries that the fad was leading to an increase in playground bullying.
In a comment recently posted on a London community web forum, "Happyslapper2" described the craze as a "joke", writing: "If you feel bored wen ur about an u got a video phone den bitch slap sum norman, innit."
However, in a sign of a gathering backlash, other forum members disagreed. "It's hardly a joke ... it's fuckin rude and pea-brained," wrote "slappersidiots".
"If this happy slapping fad continues it will only be a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt," predicted another.
Legal consequences
Denmark
When the international media attention surrounding attacks abroad reached a high point, a girl was sentenced to 8 months in prison. She was however sentenced on a number of counts including previous crimes. According to more recent sentences the common punishment is a fine or up to 40 days in prison, suspended if the attacker has no previous record.
Happy slapping is judged as "simple battery" as defined by section 244 of the Danish Criminal Code.
France
In February 2007, an amendment to a law on the prevention of delinquency aimed at criminalising happy slapping was added by the Parliament of France to a law "on the prevention of the delinquence" based on a proposal from then Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. In the final text, the anti-happy-slapping clause appears as the last part of Article 44, which also deals with ambushing law enforcement forces. To summarize:
- The law equates filming or photographing certain classes of violent crimes, including severe beatings and rape, with being an accomplice of such crimes.
- The law makes it illegal to broadcast the images of such crimes, punishable by up to 5 years in prison and/or a €75,000 fine.
However, the law is not applicable to those who took the above actions in order to obtain evidence in court, or as professional journalism. Professional journalism is delimited in France by the "press card", which is awarded by a commission representing journalist unions and press organizations. As defined by law, a professional journalist is one whose main activity is professional, paid, journalism.
The bill was signed into law on 5 March 2007, despite some organizations, including Reporters Without Borders and the French chapter of Wikimedia, arguing that this clause created a legal discrimination in criminal law between professional journalists and ordinary citizens practicing journalism. Specifically, it was argued that citizens filming incidents of police brutality and publishing such information online could be intimidated by law enforcement into remaining silent, or possibly prosecuted for their actions. This criticism was relayed by the international media.
Nicolas Sarkozy, French President, declared to Reporters Without Borders that "the spirit of the law is not to infringe of freedom of information", "However, if the least doubt subsisted, then I'm in favour of a clarification of the law".
United Kingdom
In March 2008, a teenage girl who filmed the fatal beating of a man on her mobile phone was sentenced to two years' detention in the first prosecution of its kind in the United Kingdom. She had pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court in February 2008 to aiding and abetting the manslaughter of Gavin Waterhouse, 27 from Keighley, West Yorkshire.
Mark Masters, 19, from Keighley, and Sean Thompson, 17, from Bradford were sentenced to seven and six years respectively after admitting to Mr Waterhouse's manslaughter. He died from a ruptured spleen after being beaten by the two youths in September 2007.
Just before the attack, the girl was handed a mobile phone by one of the attackers and told to "video this", prosecutors said. She then approached Mr Waterhouse, asked for money, and recorded the subsequent attack. She was sentenced to serve a two-year detention training order.
Police said they were satisfied with the court's decision. The Crown Prosecutor said "this is the first time a suspect in England and Wales has been successfully prosecuted for aiding and abetting murder or manslaughter, for the filming of an inaptly called, 'happy slapping' incident".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Htsg3ZH6pPQ
Virginia Tech massacre
The Virginia Tech massacre was a school shooting that took place April 16, 2007 on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States. In two separate attacks, approximately two hours apart, the perpetrator, Seung-Hui Cho, killed 32 people and wounded many others before committing suicide. The massacre is the deadliest peacetime shooting incident by a single gunman in United States history, on or off a school campus.
Cho, a senior English major at Virginia Tech, had previously been diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder. During much of his middle school and high school years, he received therapy and special education support. After graduating from high school, Cho enrolled at Virginia Tech. Due to federal privacy laws, Virginia Tech was not informed of Cho's previous diagnosis or the accommodations he had been granted at school. In 2005, Cho was accused of stalking two female students; after an investigation a Virginia special justice declared Cho mentally ill and ordered him to attend treatment. At least one professor had also asked Cho to seek counseling.
The attacks received international media coverage and drew widespread criticism of U.S. laws and culture. It sparked intense debate about gun violence, gun laws, gaps in the U.S. system for treating mental health issues, the perpetrator's state of mind, the responsibility of college administrations, privacy laws, journalism ethics, and other issues. Television news organizations that aired portions of the killer's multimedia manifesto were criticized by victims' families, Virginia law enforcement officials, and the American Psychiatric Association.
The massacre prompted rapid changes in Virginia law that had allowed Cho, an individual adjudicated as mentally unsound, to purchase handguns without detection by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). It also led to passage of the first major federal gun control measure in more than 13 years. The law strengthening the NICS was signed by President George W. Bush on January 5, 2008.
The Virginia Tech Review Panel, a state-appointed body assigned to review the incident, criticized Virginia Tech administrators for failing to take action that might have reduced the number of casualties. The panel's report also reviewed gun laws and pointed out gaps in mental health care as well as privacy laws that left Cho's deteriorating condition in college untreated.
Perpetrator
The shooter was identified as 23-year-old Seung-Hui Cho, a South Korean citizen with U.S. permanent resident status. An undergraduate at Virginia Tech, Cho lived in Harper Hall, a dormitory west of West Ambler Johnston Hall.
The Virginia Tech review panel's August 2007 report devoted more than 30 pages to Cho's troubled history. At three years of age, Cho was described as shy, frail, and wary of physical contact. While early media reports carried speculation by South Korean relatives that Cho had autism, the review panel report dismissed this diagnosis. In eighth grade, Cho was diagnosed with severe depression as well as selective mutism, a social anxiety disorder that inhibited him from speaking. Cho's family sought therapy for him, and he received help periodically throughout middle school and high school. Early reports also indicated Cho was bullied for speech difficulties in middle school, but the Virginia Tech review panel was unable to confirm this. High school officials worked with his parents and mental health counselors to support Cho throughout his sophomore and junior years. Cho eventually chose to discontinue therapy. When he applied and was admitted to Virginia Tech, school officials did not report his speech and anxiety-related problems or special education status because of federal privacy laws that prohibit such disclosure unless a student requests special accommodation.
Six Teens Await Fate At Juvenile Court
FAST FACTS:
-6 juveniles are in custody facing first degree murder charges
-Victims say grown up crimes deserve grown up punishment
-District attorney will seek to try most as adults
(Memphis 11/20/2009)
Juvenile court is home to at least half a dozen children facing first degree murder charges.These are teens charged in crimes just since the beginning of the month.
Vandalism and petty theft no longer dominate the crimes in some courtrooms at Shelby County Juvenile Court. On a trip to court yesterday, WREG's Stephanie Scurlock found a 13-year-old who reportedly stabbed her mother, a student charged with assaulting his Humes Middle School teacher and in one courtroom there were 3 teenage murder suspects all charged with first degree murder, they're not the only ones there.
Detention lock-up at Shelby County Juvenile Court is now home to a total of 6 teenagers charged with 1st degree murder. All are waiting to find out their fate and if they'll be charged alongside adults in criminal court.
"They act like adults when they did it, you know. These kids they act like they are so grown and they don't have any respect. You know that's the only way to stop it. You've got to put some fear in these kids, said Sharon Jordan, murder victim's step-mother.
Jordan's step son, Anthony, was shot and killed and left to die on a South Memphis sidewalk. Police arrested two 17 year olds for his murder. They are two of the defendants currently locked up at juvenile court.
Jordan said, "He was shot 5 times in the body and twice in the head. They say the one to his head is the one that took him out."
Also, in custody on murder charges, a 16-year-old girl for the murder of 10 month old child she was babysitting. A 15- year-old who allegedly shot a fellow Raleigh Egypt High School student on the walk home from school is charged with 1st degree murder. News Channel 3 has learned two 17-year-olds have also been arrested for the murder of a college student outside the Hollywood branch of the public library. District Attorney Bill Gibbons will seek to transfer most of them to adult criminal court.
Gibbons said, "If a juvenile is 16 years or older our policy is to seek a transfer of that juvenile to be tried as an adult."
Those teens who don't heed the warning could find out what growing up behind locked doors is like.
the video can be found at http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/wreg-violent-murder-teens-story,0,5113439.story.
-6 juveniles are in custody facing first degree murder charges
-Victims say grown up crimes deserve grown up punishment
-District attorney will seek to try most as adults
(Memphis 11/20/2009)
Juvenile court is home to at least half a dozen children facing first degree murder charges.These are teens charged in crimes just since the beginning of the month.
Vandalism and petty theft no longer dominate the crimes in some courtrooms at Shelby County Juvenile Court. On a trip to court yesterday, WREG's Stephanie Scurlock found a 13-year-old who reportedly stabbed her mother, a student charged with assaulting his Humes Middle School teacher and in one courtroom there were 3 teenage murder suspects all charged with first degree murder, they're not the only ones there.
Detention lock-up at Shelby County Juvenile Court is now home to a total of 6 teenagers charged with 1st degree murder. All are waiting to find out their fate and if they'll be charged alongside adults in criminal court.
"They act like adults when they did it, you know. These kids they act like they are so grown and they don't have any respect. You know that's the only way to stop it. You've got to put some fear in these kids, said Sharon Jordan, murder victim's step-mother.
Jordan's step son, Anthony, was shot and killed and left to die on a South Memphis sidewalk. Police arrested two 17 year olds for his murder. They are two of the defendants currently locked up at juvenile court.
Jordan said, "He was shot 5 times in the body and twice in the head. They say the one to his head is the one that took him out."
Also, in custody on murder charges, a 16-year-old girl for the murder of 10 month old child she was babysitting. A 15- year-old who allegedly shot a fellow Raleigh Egypt High School student on the walk home from school is charged with 1st degree murder. News Channel 3 has learned two 17-year-olds have also been arrested for the murder of a college student outside the Hollywood branch of the public library. District Attorney Bill Gibbons will seek to transfer most of them to adult criminal court.
Gibbons said, "If a juvenile is 16 years or older our policy is to seek a transfer of that juvenile to be tried as an adult."
Those teens who don't heed the warning could find out what growing up behind locked doors is like.
the video can be found at http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/wreg-violent-murder-teens-story,0,5113439.story.
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