here's a question to ponder

I don't know if this question has been brought up before either through the discussion board or in other blogs so I think i'll give it a shot. What do you think should have to first time offenders in the criminal justice system. Should it depend on the severity of the offense? Should incarceration time ever be a consideration for first time offenders. I persoannly feel it should depend on the severity of the offense. If it is a minor offense such as a curfew violation I think a verbal repremand is sufficent But if it is a more severe offense such as assult and battery or other major criminal offense then yes other options should be on the table for the courts to consider.


Your thoughts????

criminal sentencing table

I am probably the last one to discover this but I literally was just flipping through our textbook and found something that made me go, Whoa!, I didn't know that was in there. if you look at chapter 14 specifically page 376 of our text there is a sentencing table that tshows in months the sentencing guidelines a judge must follow when looking at sentencing. the table is divided into four zone levels A-D and has 43 offense levels. Each of the 258 cells contains an upper and a lower level sentence that that judge can consult for sentencing. I don't know how informative this may be to you guys but I found it interesting.

Thoughts on Life in Prison case

I am in the process of checking out the article that was left for us about life in prison for minors. As I looked through the article an interesting thought crossed my mind. If the teenagers in question are of sound mind and capable ability to committ such heinous acts such as one that is mentioned in the article shouldn't they be eligable to receive the utmost maximum sentence for their crimes. Many people will argue that juveniles are just young and foolish and will hopefuly learn from their mistakes, the question I pose is...... How many "mistakes" should we allow juveniles to make before they are held responsible for their actions. Though many people may consider it animalistic to incarcerate them at a young age I have to wonder if they have already made that leap based on their judgment or lack their of in cases such as this.

Bullying then vs. Bullying now

A question was posed in my blog about the differences between what causes bullying now as to what I bleive caused bullying back then. I would now like to address those issues.

I think bullying now has increased due to the changes we have seen with the development of life and technology that has become avaliable to the young children of today as compared to the youngsters of yesteryear.


Youngsters today have more of a freeer opportunity a freer world than our parents had back then. Youngsters today have more peer pressure that is seen in their everyday lives then anything our parents faced back when they were young.

Todays' advancement in clothing styles, lifestyles and technology have made it even tougher to be a teenager today than a teenager of yesteryear.

Punishment for Juvenile Bullies

Punishment for juvenile bullies in teh United States should come in many forms. Juvenile bullies should not be able to take control of an individuals' life thorugh fear, anger and what could lead to violence. If a bully is caught making trouble on school grounds the punishment should range from some sort of in school suspension to possible expulsion for reperat or severe offenses. Controlling of bullies within our society today is a must which shoudl be contained because without rules, laws and regulations there would be nothing but chaos and fear in our schools and other aspects of our lives.

why in my mind juvneile bullies exist

In the United States throughout history and even more rampant today one of the starting points for juvenile deliquency in my opinion is the crime of bullying that occurs in schools and other areas by individual juveniles or a group of juveniles who like to engage in gang activity. Juvenile bullies seem to think they have many answers for why they bully kids who are smaller than they are or even feel they have the guts to take on bigger kids and even in crazy situations even adults.

Juvenile bullies look to recruit other kids to join their gangs, and groups for the "family atmosphere" that many juvenile gang members feel exist within their groups. Juvenile deliquents in the U.S. because of the problems they not only have with other people in the community but sadly sometimes within their own families.

Juvenile bullies in the United States are growing at great numbers at an alarming rate everyday. Situations must be made today to help protect our kids from being the criminals of tomorrow.

Adolescent vs life deliquent pattern

Many people have always come to some sort of conclusion that when a juvneile committs a crime as an adolescent then they are doomed for a life of crime as an adult. The interesting thing I have discovered which is absolutely foregin to me at least is that there are two types of dependency for a life of crime. The two types I am refering to are adolescent limited deliquency and life course persistent delinquency. Adolescnent liminted deliquency deals with juveniles who are brought into crime as a juvenile on the basis of a need for acceptence by a group whether it be their peers their familiies or anyone close to them in life. Adolescent limited deliquents usually come to a sense of thought that a life of crime isn't what they need for acceptance which helps them brake from the chain later on in life.

Life deliqunets can be desribed as individuals who always feel that their life needs to be involved in some sort of cirminal activity and without it their life has no purpose or meaning. Life deliquents have had their lives taken from them so to speak at an early age thorugh a number of factors that have occured in the home; I.E. Parents always fighting, difficulty in school facing a need for acceptance. Life deliquents feel the only way they can achieve "peace" if to involve themselves in crime which will lead to praise from their peers but won't lead them to hapiness but a continued life of crime and time in a prison.