At what age should a person be held partially legally responsible for his/her actions

[PCLoadLetter]

Middle school, for sure. It's about then they need to start really understanding the consequences for what they do. Protect them because they're still kids, but when one of my 13 year old students is taking about how she can't wait for summer so she can just blaze all the time, she's responsible. Before middle school, depends.

This is a good example of where I think there's a giant disconnect when people talk about these issues.

You're saying that a 13 year old who can't wait until summer because she just wants to get high all the time is somehow a sign that she is responsible and has the emotional maturity to be treated as an adult. I would argue that it's a sign that she's still a dumb kid.

The people who knee-jerk respond that kids should be legally treated as an adult tend to do it from a really disingenuous place. It not a case of "this teen seems to have the emotional maturity of an adult." It's much more a case of "Screw this kid, let's make him pay."

As I said in an earlier post, setting an arbitrary age below 18 is really a waste of time. Kids mature differently. I have two sons and their emotional maturity as teens is not at all the same.

(On a side note, the U.S. has a really disturbing hard-on for punishment and incarceration.)

 

[Spartan Squad]

This is a good example of where I think there's a giant disconnect when people talk about these issues.

You're saying that a 13 year old who can't wait until summer because she just wants to get high all the time is somehow a sign that she is responsible and has the emotional maturity to be treated as an adult. I would argue that it's a sign that she's still a dumb kid.

The people who knee-jerk respond that kids should be legally treated as an adult tend to do it from a really disingenuous place. It not a case of "this teen seems to have the emotional maturity of an adult." It's much more a case of "Screw this kid, let's make him pay."

As I said in an earlier post, setting an arbitrary age below 18 is really a waste of time. Kids mature differently. I have two sons and their emotional maturity as teens is not at all the same.

(On a side note, the U.S. has a really disturbing hard-on for punishment and incarceration.)

And I also said we need to recognize they're kids but they need to begin seeing the consequences of their actions. In the broad sense you're right. Expecting them to make rational adult level decisions is hard but I do expect them to start appreciating we're not going to treat them like kids. Time outs have stopped. Mind you when I heard this girl say that, I didn't jump down her throat, but I filed it away for how to approach her in the future with school work.

As a 13/14 year old, grades start having real consequences for their futures and we start treating them differently in school. Hell 11/12 they have to go through school differently.

All of course with the mindset that they are not as mature as me so my approach must be different.

 

[OscarMadison]

It depends on the kid. It depends on the crime. It depends on so much.
One other thing: It depends on the goal. Do you want to punish or rehabilitate the kid?

 

[studthug12]

It depends on the kids. People mature at different times. I know me personally I had no forking clue the extent of ramifications in the grand scheme. Also I don't buy the well we are treated different in school at 13/14. Meh. The grades don't have that huge of an impact really in the grand scheme. In the end you pash and have a 2.0 you can go to a juco and get into college. That's really what matters. I never had grand ideas of going to Yale. There are some horrific crimes committed that deserve and almost have to have punishment, but to treat a 13 yo as an adult I think is wrong. Some kids have very difficult upbringings and think they have no out that isn't through jail. At least try and rehabilitate imo.