OCALA, Florida (AP) -- Two boys were arrested for making pencil-and-crayon stick figure drawings depicting a 10-year-old classmate being stabbed and hung, police said. The children, charged with a felony, were taken from school in handcuffs.
The 9- and 10-year-old boys were arrested Monday and charged with making a written threat to kill or harm another person. They were also suspended from school.
One drawing showed the two boys standing on either side of the other boy and 'holding knives pointed through' his body, according to a police report. The figures were identified by written names or initials.
Another drawing showed a stick figure hanging, tears falling from his eyes, with two other stick figures standing below him. Other pieces of scrap paper listed misspelled profanities and the initials of the boy who was allegedly threatened.
The boys' parents said they thought the children should be punished by the school and families, not the legal system.
violet
Posted:
Member since
Re: debate for the day- what do you think of this?
It's one thing to scare them. Quite another to charge them with a felony. They're kind of blurring the lines between crimes and misdemeanors here. You know, I can think of so many other situations where a criminal will just get a slap on the hand rather than be charged with something? It's ridiculous.
lolita4life
Posted:
Member since
Re: debate for the day- what do you think of this?
Posted by violet
It's one thing to scare them. Quite another to charge them with a felony. They're kind of blurring the lines between crimes and misdemeanors here. You know, I can think of so many other situations where a criminal will just get a slap on the hand rather than be charged with something? It's ridiculous.
i def agree....
also, if this is the first time they did somethign like this, they should definatly have a strong talking to and counsiling.... if this type of behaviour still went on to continue, Perhaps bringing the cops in to 'scare' tehm would be more appropriate. did anyone even speak to these children about what they did BEFORE they brought the cops in and whisked them away to jail?
a few years back my best friends younger brother got in trouble for drawing a pic of him with a gun or somethign like that. they didnt bring the cops in or charge him with a felony. he talked to a social worker and things cleared up. they need guidance, not to be intimidated like that.
i just feel there are better ways of handling this sort of situation.
IMHO
Sassyz75
Posted:
Member since
Re: debate for the day- what do you think of this?
but they are 9 and 10 is there a difference between a child drawing something that is maybe a cry for help or a social comment? Is it that black and white for a child? I don't know, I am not a social worker.. it just seems crazy. I also don't think you can compare the columbine killers who were much older to these kids.
don424
Posted:
Member since
Re: debate for the day- what do you think of this?
Posted by Sassyz75
but they are 9 and 10 is there a difference between a child drawing something that is maybe a cry for help or a social comment? Is it that black and white for a child? I don't know, I am not a social worker.. it just seems crazy. I also don't think you can compare the columbine killers who were much older to these kids.
i agree and respect that, but who is to say that the columbine kids didn't start out like this at 9 or 10
Sassyz75
Posted:
Member since
Re: debate for the day- what do you think of this?
True- no idea about the Columbine kids I guess I see it as a great problem in society.. we aren't raising our kids anymore - they sit in front of TV all day, they are spoiled.. it's scary how many kids are on some type of pyschiatric drug!
PrincessRose
Posted:
Member since
Re: debate for the day- what do you think of this?
I don't know - this really reminds me of something that happened to me when I was around that age. One of the other kids threw a paper airplane at me with a swastika drawn inside 'just to see my reaction'. He really didn't know what he was doing, or how serious it was.
Kids play games and things where you shoot each other, stab with swords, bang bang your dead kind of stuff.
The kids DEFINITELY need therapy, no doubt there, but the Penal system???????????? I just don't think so.
