When Kids Kill

Recently the number of murders committed by children increased dramatically. This issue is spreading at a fast rate and is touching families, friends and civilians. Children are becoming more sophisticated and are dealing with new, bigger problems at a younger age. Combined with a violent surrounding, dealing with these problems may cause a more disturbed and brutal
“solution” that will be executed by the child. Nothing still shocks as much as a child killing an innocent person or even a parent. Dealing with these children is another problem. Should they be treated as adults or as normal kids and just blame their acts on a childish explanation?
With such a serious and alarming concern, an effective solution is desperately required. A child must be taught what’s good and what’s bad. In these conditions, it is best to put these children in a non-violent juvenile prison where they will face a rehabilitation that will hopefully prevent the recurrence of similar future crimes.

To begin with, there are several reasons that push children to commit such crimes. According to
Heide (2009) a child usually has a tremendous difficulty in accepting that his actions lead to an irreversible result. Many factors may come into place that will cause such behaviors. The psychological side is a major reason in this issue. Children will become dangerous and will most likely commit crimes when they experience difficult and hard conditions in their home places. The problem is that these children who are suffering cannot leave their homes because it is now illegal to do such acts. Plus, if they manage to run away they will face harder conditions due to their shortage of survival skills and necessities like money and experience.
Heide classifies the teenagers who might commit crimes into three types. First, the abused child, who isn’t capable of tolerating his parents’ actions. Whether he was psychologically, verbally, sexually or physically abused, a child simply cannot live under these conditions.
Therefore the murder that he will eventually commit is caused by his sadness and hopelessness because no other solution can be found in order for him to be treated normally. Second, the mentally ill child, who isn’t in the real world anymore. Instead, he lives in a virtual one where he can’t find boundaries for anything, even for killing. Third, the dangerously antisocial child, who might murder his parents for ridiculous reasons, typically related to materialism or selfishness.
Three horrible events occurred by this third type of individuals. Wilson (2011) notes the following events: 16-years-old Sarah Johnson killed her parents because they asked her to break up with her boyfriend. Brian Blackwell, aged 18, stabbed his parents because they gave him a warning about his exceeded spending. He states that when children are full of anger and hopelessness they are “like a volcano erupting. And when they erupt, they destroy everything around them”. The third crime, stated by Allen (2009), was committed by the 11-years-old
Jordan Brown who shot his father’s fiancé with a hunting rifle due to jealousy caused by her pregnancy.On the other side, the environment of the child is another crucial factor that can trigger his violent actions. Children nowadays are surrounded by violent scenarios, situations and materials. Whether they are walking down the street or just sitting at home watching a movie, the exposure to violence is available. Modern kids are more sophisticated and cultivated than previous generations. They know how to use violent weapons, especially guns, which are the easiest weapons to use in order to kill. Baehr (2002) asserts that the main reason that qualifies a child to be able to hold a gun, reload it and shoot it, is video games. He gives an example of a 14-year-old boy who killed eight children with exactly eight shots, meaning that he didn’t miss.
This was the first time he ever used a gun, and the only effective factor that was training him was the use of video games. The rate of hitting a target at that age without being trained by video games is only about 15%. However, with the proper use of these virtual trainings, this rate increases to 90%, which plays a huge role on the number of victims if such accidents occur and on the instinct of the child. In addition, parents are the most crucial surrounding of the child.
Violence at home will encourage the child to practice violence on the streets. Problems at home will put the child in a desperation mood which might be projected in violent acts.
Anthony Brown, who shot his father’s fiancé, was using the hunting rifle that his father gave him on a Christmas day, which is absolutely absurd. The consequence of the fiancé’s death was caused by the disturbed jealous and child, but also, and most importantly, by the father who gifted a weapon to his son and made it easily accessible to him.

Killing is definitely not easy, neither are its effects. But an erupting child or teenager won’t agree with this sentence and won’t think of the consequences. When a little time has passed after the occurrence of this crime, the effects will differ. A child might regret his acts, he might also feel happy or he might not feel a thing. This also depends on his mental status, whether he’s aware, proud, neutral, ill or insane. The effect of this act on society and on the child’s family is dramatic. As said before, nothing shocks as much as knowing that a young person has been involved in homicide. The image of this child will be destroyed for the rest of his life. Few will stand by his side and support him, many will abandon him and end their relations with him.
Strangely, everyone thinks that a child is fully aware at the time of the killing, which is mostly not the case. Even when adults commit crimes they probably aren’t fully aware, but then again, adults are not allowed to have excuses in this matter.

With such serious effects, a valid and powerful solution is fiercely needed. Dealing with a kid who murdered a person is a complex issue. It is difficult for him and for his surroundings, but with the proper steps, a good result might be achieved. Some believe that a crime is a crime no matter who commits it, therefore kids should be treated as adults and should spend a considerable part of their lives in jail. Reaves (2001) supports this idea by stating that because children are more cultivated these days, they understand the consequences of their acts when it comes to murdering individuals, including family members also. She relies on the fact that they are seeing daily violence which means that they are aware of their acts and should be treated as adults and put in jail, which will also teach other kids a lesson. First of all, recent studies suggest that part of the brain of a person which plays a crucial role in constraining inappropriate behavior may not reach full development until a person is 20-years-old. Second, treating a kid as an adult will cause his daily interaction with criminals and murderers which surely won’t solve anything. In addition, Cohen (2001) states that treating one child as an adult in this case in order to send a message to other children is foolish and isn’t effective at all.
Others say that kids don’t understand the consequences of their acts because of their limited intellectual capacity, therefore they should be forgiven without implementing further efforts to teach them an important lesson. This is definitely not an option because the child won’t understand the brutality of the horrible act that he committed and might find it normal to do it again. The most effective solution is to put the child in a non-violent juvenile prison for a limited time, depending on his psychological status, where he will face a rehabilitation that will have a huge role in treating, educating and comforting him in order to achieve the elimination of his violent behaviors as well as improving his self control and awareness, which will hopefully prevent the recurrence of similar future acts.

These unthinkable and unexpected behaviors are actually becoming very common in our society. Kids are becoming more violent in a level that will eventually lead them to commit murders in some situations if they lack awareness and self control. And society isn’t willing to accept that these kids who killed a person are really just kids that, in most of the cases, have no idea about what they have done and about the consequences of their acts. Treating them as adults isn’t the way to go, these kids should be put in a completely friendly juvenile prison for a certain period of time, where they will face a rehabilitation which will have a great impact on improving their violent behaviors and prevent the recurrence of further crimes by the same child. As noticed, this issue is growing rapidly, but another reversed one has also been recently on the rise. It’s when parents kill their children.