At what age are you accountable for your actions

[Absently]

My nephew has just turned 10 today and I'm pretty sure he has a good idea of what's wrong and right. It's just something that you generally just know. I think from quite a young age, you should be able to be held accountable for your actions, like perhaps seven? Tbf, he's already had a second chance at life and he wrecked that, I don't think he deserves another chance. It just seems like he's going to keep doing something to **** it up and will end up back in prison and if he doesn't, he'll probably just be hiding whatever he's doing. In general, a 10 year old doing that is just pretty sickening and vile. Also, like @Empired; said - if I was anywhere near him I'd run away immediately.

Is he going to have a new identity again or is he going back in the world as who he was previously, or his real identity??

[Catchy]

Just thought I'd post this which I was watching last night, it's really shocking and it was so hard to watch.



It's real interview footage of a case of a girl (now adult) called Beth Thomas. She suffered attachment disorder as she was sexually abused by her father after her mother had died, when this was occurring she was 9-18 months old. A couple adopted her along with her brother without knowing much about their backgrounds however it soon came to light. Beth started to sexually abuse her brother, attempted to kill him on numerous occasions and she also speaks openly in this interview about how she wanted to kill her entire family.

Whilst all this was happening I think she was pretty young, I think the interview in the video is when she was aged 7 maybe? Anyways she went through intense therapy and actually got better, developed a sense of right and wrong and apparently she now works as a paediatric nurse.

[Cerys]

I'd say the age is currently fine - 10.

Though I think that it could easily be pushed down to 8 or even 7.

It's awful that he's being allowed out again, though. Even if it was a long time ago, there's no doubt that he is capable of doing that sort of stuff again

[Empired]

Just thought I'd post this which I was watching last night, it's really shocking and it was so hard to watch.



It's real interview footage of a case of a girl (now adult) called Beth Thomas. She suffered attachment disorder as she was sexually abused by her father after her mother had died, when this was occurring she was 9-18 months old. A couple adopted her along with her brother without knowing much about their backgrounds however it soon came to light. Beth started to sexually abuse her brother, attempted to kill him on numerous occasions and she also speaks openly in this interview about how she wanted to kill her entire family.

Whilst all this was happening I think she was pretty young, I think the interview in the video is when she was aged 7 maybe? Anyways she went through intense therapy and actually got better, developed a sense of right and wrong and apparently she now works as a paediatric nurse.

I thought if you ever did anything illegal (particularly anything involving children) it meant you could never ever work with children ever again? I know this is true for teachers, why would this not apply to paediatric nurses? Did this girl (now woman) have to go through a load of stuff before she could work with children?

[Catchy]

I thought if you ever did anything illegal (particularly anything involving children) it meant you could never ever work with children ever again? I know this is true for teachers, why would this not apply to paediatric nurses? Did this girl (now woman) have to go through a load of stuff before she could work with children?

Well that's what I thought too, I know people who've been turned down from training to be nurses/midwives because of really minor offences which occurred years and years ago so I really don't know, maybe it's different in America? But I wouldn't expect it to be :S! However this was years and years ago so maybe the laws were different though, I have no clue I'd have to look it up. I still don't know how I feel on the subject, personally I wouldn't want this Beth Thomas looking after my children but then I think it's also important that we acknowledge that Beth Thomas was also a victim.

[Yawn]

its his fourth new identity

[Gina]

thirteen? As if. A seven year old knows whats right and wrong, even most six year olds.

Seven is the perfect age for knowing between right and wrong. isnt @yuxin; like twelve dnno. does that mean she can get a gun and go on a massive killing spree and get away with it by your thought???

im 14!!
and i think the current age is fine

[karter]

I think at the age 10, everyone knows what's right and what's wrong especially when it comes to killing someone. However punishment should not be an option, therapy should be but a crime is a crime, and the person should account for what he did, just because he grew up to be different does not change the fact that he committed a heinous crime

[Daltron]

I think an appropriate age when one should be accountable is 16.

At Law School this semester we did a lot of work with restorative justice methods and from what I have seen with young offenders especially 10 and below is that they don't have a proper grasp on society and how things work because of their lack of education, abusive parents, or just third party influences which they can't handle properly and it modifies their perception.

Sure most 10 year olds would fully understand what right and wrong is but a lot of children don't have the benefit and accessibility we take for granted to basic educational necessity. I think in this Venables situation there needs to be an assessment made by professionals as to the mental state of the individual. I don't think they should be held accountable after they have served their time, but if they reoffend then they should be held accountable.

[chantellehugs]

I think you have to consider the idea that every child is brought up differently, when we're growing up we learn and copy from our parents. If a child isn't socialised properly into the norms and values of society then should they do something wrong they won't know that it's wrong because society defines what is "wrong".
But I do think there's a difference between someone who generally doesn't know any better and someone who thinks they can break the rules because they're young.