Friday, February 26, 2010

LOCKED AWAY FOREVER?


By: Adam Liptak, Upfront, 1/18/10, National, Pg. 14,15

Summary

"Locked Away Forever" a article of how the some of the teenagers around the world are doing crimes and being sentenced for life. John R. Blue doesn't think that this is right, he thinks that they should have some hope in their life. Like, 13 year old Joe Sullivan was convicted of sexually assaulting a 72 year old woman, in Pensacola, Florida, in 1989. Bryan Stevenson "To say to any child of 13 that you are only fit to die in prison is cruel." Some teenagers are also getting drunk from fights and maybe family problems. Where are they getting it? Rebecca Falcon, at 15 had gotten drunk because her boyfriend had broken-up with her. She found a cab and got in it, a friend of hers happened to be in there, with gun. In the end the driver,Richard Todd Phillips, ended up getting shot in the head and died 25 days later. Falcon has been sentenced for life and now heavily regrets what she did. This also happened in Florida.
Two teenagers at the age of 14 were locked up for rape, in Kentucky 40 years ago.
This article is showing how more and more kids in their teenage years are ruining their life by doing stupid crimes and getting sentenced to jail for life. It is also saying how some people don't agree with them staying in jail and never getting out.
Response
This article is definitely stating what some people, teenagers even, are doing these days, and it is not a good thing what they are doing, getting drunk and shooting a cab driver? A 13 year old boy sexually assaulting a older woman? It is not good for the nation.
I don't think that it is a good thing what these teenagers are doing but I don't think that these teenagers deserve to be sentenced to jail all their life. I bet that all of those teenagers, who are now adults, now are very sorry for what they did and wish that they could go back in time and change it, but maybe some of them just don't think about it and just focus on having hope that they can get out of jail and still have something in their life.
Hopefully people will see what is happening to the people who commit these crimes and see what their life could be like and see what kind of a person they who become. A bad example for the nation. These things should stop.

Discussion Questions: 1) Do you think it's right to have teenagers sentenced for life? Why? or Why not?
2) How do you think things will change in the future.

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