Thirteen-years-old Peter Barton (not his real name) was playing with a little girl of 6. Claiming that he was pretending to be a professional wrestler, peter punched, kicked and stamped the playmate to death. Her liver was severely damaged; her skull was fractured and the medical experts compared the injuries to a fall from the top of the house. Peter was tried in court as an adult and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole when he is 38.
“What we are dealing with is a new kind of childhood criminal. They are starting younger and they know what they are doing. They won’t think twice about killing” said the Florida State District Adam Emmit. The state of California alone registered 312 homicides committed by minors which must of them were gun-related.
Discussion questions for your comment:
Peter claimed he was pretending to be a wrestler. Could he be saying the truth?
Is it really possible that a 13 year-old boy could intentionally kill a young girl?
Are children the same as they have always been, or are they really different these days?
What do you think about the punishment was given to Peter?
It’s very difficult to know if Peter could be saying the truth because we can`t know his real intentions maybe he was just playing, he’s just a kind. Although Peter is only 13 years old that doesn’t mean that he didn’t wants to kill her. It’s possible that he really wants to do it, maybe he has mental problems or he could has violence problems at home or he just hate her and he thinks that that’s the solution to the problem.
ResponderEliminarThis situation is very common these days; children aren’t as they were in the past. Before they were innocent and happy, they play all the time and eat candies; now children are very aggressive because the programs they see in the television, the example their parents gives to them, mental problems or just because they think that the solution to everything.
The punishment they gave him is very rude, although he killed a girl he is just a kind. Obviously he deserves a punishment but as a child not as an adult. And after sentence him to the prison they should make him some psychological tests because he could have mental problems or maybe it was an accident.
1. I don't think so he's 13 he should already know the difference between being a wrestler and pretending to be one, also even if he were pretending, he should have known where to stop punching the little girl.
ResponderEliminar2. It is possible depends on the person, the conditions of where he lived, how he was raised, the influences in his life that pushed him to do that, or maybe how he lives with his family. The childhood influences a big part of how you are going to be when you grow up.
3. They are quite different these days, they are way more exposed than before and very easily influenced by the media like video games, Movies, Music. The childhood is a stage where we "Configure" our brain in a figure speech, the experiences lived in your childhood will forge main aspects about your future life, this is a reason why kids imitate most of the things they see, they are curious, and want to explore the world and if they listen music about being a "Gangsta" or to enlist in the army they will try to be as similar as they can to that.
4. As i said in my previous statements, the children attitude is merely psychological and sending a kid to jail for almost the rest of his life will affect his brain much more and when he gets older it will be harder for him to change. I would have sent him with a psychologist and probably to take some sort of pills, also to examine his living conditions to see if there's some anger issues in his family.
not because the age of 13 knew what was right or wrong, then he knew what he was doing to his friend but also could be really playing and did so without intent but he knew the consequences of what he was playing and that was very dangerous so I could avoid by not playing well with his friend but sometimes it is inevitable among children in this age this is an issue that is difficult to treat because it would have to take into account that happened in the life of a child playing such violent things.
ResponderEliminari think the truth of the child depends on the situation in his home life d values parents mess you the child but in my opinion would cost a lot to a child commits a crime as great as it would have to kill in a grave situation of his life.
I think children like the adults have been changing since before the children were playing with different things and not had so many means of communication that encourages violence but now many children want to be like the TV people or commit acts see on tv and there are many video games that also the evil influence children.
I think that the punishment given to Peter was a bit hard because he was only 13 years I think I must have more research to see if it was true that the child had been guilty or whether it was because of a situation that was going on your family or if their parents were growing up in a violent way and single draft was his life and how sad it was I also think the punishment was too much if he was only 13 years was much support for a child this age so it was a bit unfair if necessary punishment but also an attention Psychologists to help support what he did to his friend.
Nowadays we see people killing and is normal for us, we live we most of them, criminals.
ResponderEliminarPeter may said the truth, he was a young boy in those days, and children often say the truth and have so much influence by t.v, fathers or their community. Peter could be a case like that, he may said the truth, but his mind was so disturbed, thats why he did what he did.
I believe that children even adults can have problems like a criminal mind. Peter could has a bad temper and got angry easier, so when they were playing he acted in that way, thinking or not thinking in the consequences. Most of the parents think that their boys or even girls have this problems when they grow up, and they don't put attention of the environment that their sons are living.
The kids of these days are totally different than the last year, and even ten years ago. All of us are changing, but the most important problem is that the bad influences and criminals are growing. Now children have the knowledge about a stealing, most of them made it, a killing or kidnapping is, so like evolution, they have to get used to them.
I'm agree about the life sentence, not to kill him, but stay the rest of the life in the jail, yes. However he could has a study of himself and decide if he did it because he liked it or just because he had an illness like sociopathy.
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ResponderEliminarI think not, , maybe was intentional, because he was not a kid, he was 13 years old, and he knew that what he was going to do was not good. And he knew that she was a little girl and she could not defend her self. Maybe he could have think about the consecuences.
ResponderEliminarMaybe, because it depends on how their family was, what he saw in his house, or what he watch on the television... Maybe his parents were aggressive, and he learned to be like that.
They have changed a lot, because before they did not play bad games, and not watch television or used the computer, the families were humble and were very close. Now exists a lot of things, that make the kids be more aggressive and selfish.
Maybe he should be punished in this way, but also should have been taken into account that he was young and not an adult. The important was that he realize that he was who committed the crime.
1. That depends of the education that parents gave to him. Because Peter maybe punched that girld for a family reason.
ResponderEliminar2.Yes, the mind of the childrens would change for many reasons and the influence of TV or Internet. He could follow a lot of the programs that we see in the television.
3. No, because the new generation on childrens have more avantages and disadvantages than the others. They can see diferent programs that influence the minds of the childrens.
4. That is not the solution, because maybe Peter diden't do that in a apropos way. Maybe he just was play with her and didn't measure the consequences of his acts.