REPLY TO EACH
1)
What do you think is driving these numbers?
A disproportionate number of minority youths suffer arrest, detention. . Throughout the system, youths of color, especially African American youths receive different and harsher treatment. Minority and lower-class neighborhoods experience much greater police scrutiny than white, middle-class areas, and their residents face a greater chance of arrest.
What would you suggest to reduce the imbalance in the juvenile justice system?
Requiring some sort of standardized collection of ethnic and racial data on individuals arrested or committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Established committees or commissions to address and remedy overrepresentation of minorities in their juvenile justice systems.
Community-based detention alternative
2)
Do you believe that juveniles should be sent to prison for life without the possibility of parole?
Personally, it depends on the crime. If it is a violent crime, I am more likely to say yes. However, non-violent crimes NO.
Crimes that a juveniles should be sent to prison for life:
Murder
Sexual crimes (I don’t believe that anyone an adult or juvenile can be rehabilitated)
Would you describe these juveniles as hardened criminals?
Hardened criminal is defined as someone who has had a lot of bad experiences and as a result no longer gets upset or shocked.
Jacob Ind- in this case, my answer would be yes. If his abuse claims are true, in his eyes it’s justified. So, he doesn’t show any emotions towards the crime, which is the reason why the defense didn’t put him on the stand, it would have made him look bad in the eye’s of the jury.
Trevor Jones- I torn on hardened criminal . He stated that he likes the “bad boy image”, and did drugs and drink, however I don’t know if he knows loner gets upset or shocked.
Andrew Medina- Then, no I don’t think he was a hardened criminal. However, now yes. He was accused of being a leader of a gang that led to a riot and he was moved to a maximum-security prison.
Nathan Ybanez- This case, yes again if what he is claiming to be true. To receive that kind of abuse from both your parents, and sexual abuse from your own mother. He probably feels like it was justified, in murdering her.
Erik Jenson- No, I don’t think he is. Both of them claim that he wasn’t involved in the murder, just the clean up. Jenson also stated that after seeing all of the blood, he fell to his knees and went numb.
How does the United States compare to the international community in their practices of incarcerating juveniles to life without parole?
The United States stands alone as the only nation that sentences people to life without parole for crimes committed before turning 18.
3)
Do you think the methodology used to complete this study was valid?
No, not then and certainly not now. I don’t think that this study can ever be valid, there are just too many variables at play. Plus who is to say, just because a minor (just picking the extreme) knocks out a car window is going to start breaking into houses, or committing robberies. I don’t get the comparisons in crimes.
What limitations do you see, if any, in the way the study was conducted?
The biggest limitation is the neighborhoods. Sure if things are rough the middle class can move out, but what about the poor people who can’t. So now it’s the neighbor that becomes more economically disadvantaged.
Based on your knowledge and experience do you think this study’s findings are still valid? Why or Why not?
No, they aren’t still valid. The broken window is just like the stop and risk, it targets the poor class citizens, and minorities.
