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?
-Maybe Peter was saying the truth and he wanted to be a wrestler, but that wasn´t the right way to express his dream. The other option is that he just wanted to hit the girl and he said his dream was become a wrestler to avoid the people tought he was guilty.
ResponderEliminar-Peter maybe wanted to hit the girl and get her hurt, but he didn´t know the worst consequences of his actions. I think is almost impossible that a children wanted to kill another, without factors that make him do that.
-Chidrens a few years ago were more paeceful than now, people used to have a life with more tranquility and to respect the other people, violence wasn´t as diffused as our days. Now there are to many social factors that promotes violence, like the t.v., the relative´s influences and another childs.
-First, we need to know the reasons of Peter to do it, the way he were living and another factors. In normal conditions, I´m agree with the punishment, because someone like Peter, that could think violence is good, will learn that it isn´t really good, and some childs wont become criminals.
-Sometimes the children say many things but not all is true, they have a big imagination. I think that he wanted to be a wrestler not a murderer.
ResponderEliminar- I don't believe that a kid can kill another, for me that is impossible. He was only playing with a friend, but he didn’t know when to stop and when the game is not a game. Probably he knew that he was doing damaged to his friend but he continued and did not measure the consequences.
-In the past they were more innocent and less violent now they are other thing. And the society where we are living is very different and this influences in the kids.
-Yes because he kill a person is a crime and this deserves a punishment. I know that sounds harsh and cruel but is the reality.
-No because if the children act in this form, is because in his house has been has been taught well,is because in his house had problems that have affected that have affected and thus their behavior.
ResponderEliminar-I don't think can kill a child , because they are children full of hope and beautiful thoughts,but if the home has problems, the child suffers the consequences of evil acts committed by parents and they learn everything they see and things are good and bad.
-Children are not the same today, because they grow up in homes very different from before, because in homes before had respect, love and really instilled values, but now everything is out of pure interest or material things.
-Sounds good, because it is a person who committed a crime and every person who commits a crime must be paid.
Dayana 11-1
•It's possible may tell the truth, That was the dream of the child, But that does not give any right of assaulting her or anyone else.
ResponderEliminar•Yes, can be, depends on how the child be both emotionally and psychologically and as the situation that this is living at home.
•Yes, they are different today, they are exposed to more violence in their family and outside it, and there are fewer values are taught.
•Not agree with this because you first have to analyze the causes and the child was mentally fit to carry out the murder.
I don’t believe he was saying the truth. This situation, for me, couldn’t be an accident because he wasn’t a child in the moment that he committed it. I think that he might kill her intentionally. Since he wasn’t a child when this happened, he knew what he was doing. I do think there is the possibility that he had mental problems. Children are different now, they are violent because of mass media influence in them. Regardless of what he did, i don’t think the punishment that the court gave him was fair, after all, he still is a minor and he shouldn’t be judge like an adult.
ResponderEliminar-I think that peter is saying the true because all kids dream in something, someone’s wants to be a doctor others a police officer and peter decided to be wrestler.
ResponderEliminar-Maybe yes, because if peter had some problems in past for example had a dysfunctional family or live in an environment no so nice or not appropriate but if not i don’t think that one child can be kill other kid in only a game.
-Well, in my opinion i think that they changed a little bit because nowadays we have more violence TV programs and that’s affects a lot in kids, in other times kids played in the park or something like that and now a lot kids play videogames in their houses.
-I’m disagree, because it’s a hard punishment only for a child that maybe he didn’t have fault.
1.It can be two options , number one: he probably wanted to be wrestler, because we know the children always have dreams or they often want to be something like a veterinarian, police, fireman or in this case a wrestler, so it’s probably true. But number two, if that was just like an excuse? He is a children but not a baby! At this age children have the maturity to know what is killing a person, unless it is a very innocent child.
ResponderEliminar2. Yes it can be! Like I said before, children are already aware of what they do at this age, perhaps Peter hasn’t thought the possible consequences at the time, but he is aware of what makes.
3. Well… I can’t talk in general, but some children now are growing in different environments that influence his way of being and thinking since they are little children and also the increase of violence, so nowadays the children aren’t the same as they have always been.
4. I think maybe if the punishment would have been for an adult wouldn’t be as strong but for a child is very hard and maybe not really deserve it.
(^My artistic name, I'm Eduardo)
ResponderEliminar- Probably, he was playing, but I think that when people are 13 years old they should have a bit of common sense, and know what's good and what's bad...
- It is actually possible, there have been a lot of cases like this...
- They are actually very different, since nowasays, we can see a lot of violence in the news, tv shows, and maybe even at our own homes or schools.
- Somebody has to stop this, but I think it's kind of cruel to make a boy lose practically half of his life in jail... It's really unfair.
Thanks to all for your active participation on blog 1!! :-D. Feedback will be given on the following weeks :-)
ResponderEliminar