It almost seems like it
becomes a certain time of year where we hear about and speak about all these young
children committing murders and other heinous crimes. It is scary to think that
a child as young as eight, nine, and ten years of age has the mindset and
ability to commit a murder. When I think of myself at that age, the most
important thing on my mind was lunch time and recess. I cannot even imagine
that I was thinking about killing someone, let alone my very own friends and
family members. This obviously is not the case for 11 year old Jordan Brown.
Jordan,
an 11 year old boy, was found guilty for murdering his father’s pregnant fiancée.
Due to her pregnancy, Jordan was convicted for murder of two. The controversy
here is whether Jordan felt neglected, was jealous, or was emotionally or
physically abused. It is hard to understand how an 11 year old can shoot his
step mom in the back of the head then leave for school as if nothing had
happened. Clearly this child had some psychological issues.
The
plan for Jordan Brown is to go through county advised treatment programs while
he is locked up, but only until he is 21 years of age due to being convicted in
juvenile court. If they feel he makes progress through treatment, he may be
released early on probation. Again, this verdict brings even more controversy
because critics do not believe it is right for him to ever be released. He was
convicted of a double murder but only received 10 years and then a release because
he is so young. If any adult does this type of crime, they receive life in prison,
even if they receive treatment or rehabilitation. Why is this okay for the
child to be released? Should he be just because he was young? Personally, I think
he knew right from wrong at that age. He committed an adult like crime and
should probably receive adult like consequences and punishments. I am not
saying I do not feel bad for this child; no one does these things unless they
have something wrong with them or are struggling with personal problems.
This is a horrible story to read. I do agree with you when you said that something must be wrong with the child for him to have committed such a heinous crime. I do have to wonder how he got the gun in the first place, why it was loaded, and how did he know how to shoot it? These questions have probably been answered already and I should just look into reading more about the story online. I would also like to point out that in my Juvenile Justice class, we talked about how some children who commit crimes don't even realize what they have done until years later. The meaning of death is sometimes hard for a young child to understand and maybe he really didn't know what he was doing. However, considering he was convicted, I'm sure they had some evidence of mens rea. Such a sad story all around and I hope this young boy can receive treatment that he needs while the family receives justice that they too deserve.
ReplyDeleteI believe this child knew right from wrong, but I agree with Meghan. In 369 we watched a video about a young girl that committed murder, and was arrested and sent to a girls home with many years of rehabilitation. The program worked, but she wasn't able to realize that she took a life, and killed her best friend. Like Meghan said the definition and understanding of what death is for young children can be very vague because how young children think and understand life. Like Jamie said, he was always thinking about recess and lunch at that age. My question is, did the kid find his fathers shot gun and pretended he was a soldier, or was he using his imagination to shoot down aliens when the pregnant step mother came in?
ReplyDeleteI know that's a sad alternative, but realistically that's what most likely was the kids mindset.As for the law aspect of this story, I believe if a child can comprehend what the difference between good and bad is, then they should have to take action for there behavior, however they are still at a young age and should have to work through a rehab center and stay connected with daily counseling and one on one psychiatric evaluations. Going back to the video I watched last semester, the girl after many years realized, and excepted what she had done and realized the misfortune the family had to endure, and finally was released into society where she went back to High school and then to college where she study's psychology... So the system can work but we have to have programs that actually make a change, and that give back to the offenders. Hopefully Jordan will get a program like the one from the video...
To answer on Meghan's question, and how he knew how to operate the weapon. I knew these things at an even earlier age than 11. Its not an uncommon thing. What uncommon, is that he had the access to it. But clearly there was something wrong with this kid. And as a juvenile, he should be treated differently, right now anyway. To do such a thing at such a young age, it will take its toll on him eventually. And frankly, I wouldn't feel comfortable with him on the streets. I think any treatment he receives should be with the intent to allow him to live in a prison community successfully.
ReplyDeleteNot only is it disturbing that this child shot and killed his father's pregnant girlfriend but that he had access to the weapon and ammunition. There are more then just the child to blame in this situation. Obviously he had some serious emotional and psychological issues going on and someone in his life had to of sensed that something was terribly wrong with him; whether it be teachers, parents, friends.. someone had to of noticed a change in him. A normal child does not just wake up one day and decide to shoot someone. There had to of been some warning signs that should have been addressed and maybe this would have been prevented. I think he is was at an age where he knew right from wrong and he deserves to be punished to the max, but so very sad that it had to come to that.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this has been mentioned multiple times before me, it is amazing that this child committed this act let alone had access to the weapon. The fact that this child had access to a gun should also be considered some sort of a crime because that alone can lead to so many issues. Clearly this child has some psychological issues, but I do agree that he knew the difference between right and wrong. Incarcerating children at such a young age is such a difficult topic because the child really may not realize and understand the concept of death. I do believe that spending the next 10 years in juvenile detention is not going to help his situation though, and I definitely don't think it is a good idea for him to be released.
ReplyDeleteI have always believed that you should not let something you did as a kid ruin the rest of you life; however, there are certain circumstances where this does not fit. In this case, I am on the fence as to whether this child should be let out at 21 or kept locked up for a few more years. The child obviously has some psychological issues if he can shoot his step-mother in the back of the head then casually go to school immediately after the murder. If the child can be successfully rehabilitated and realizes and acknowledges the wrong he did then there is no reason he shouldn't be released at 21. The problem I have is that the child shows some mental instability at the very least and could be capable of doing this sort of thing again. This is a tricky and tough case and I think it is all circumstantial whether he should be let out once 21 or not.
ReplyDeleteChildren at this age have no clue what is right from wrong legally. You only know what is right from wrong by what your parents say. Children this young cannot process something such as murder no matter what issues they are going through; so from that point I don't agree with you about this child knowing what he was doing. On a second issue I also don't agree with you about keeping this child in prison for the rest of his life. Juveniles are BY FAR the easiest group of offenders to rehabilitate. This child can be rehabilitated and if he does succeed he can lead a successful life (to some degree). I don't doubt that he has psychological issues but I do believe that he can be rehabilitated.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very sad situation. I think that children at the age of 11 know right from wrong but I don't think that it should affect him for the rest of his life. I think that he should be punished for this awful crime and that he should be in jail until he is at least 21 and then from there it should be decided what should happen.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that this child has psychological issues and that the nature of this crime was heinous. What i don't agree with you about is how this child could understand the gravity of his crime. As you said, at 11, children think about lunch and recess. At 11, children also throw tantrums that seem to us very juvenile and unnecessary. To a child, this tantrum is a behavior that they have developed to help them cope with not getting their way. Although we see it as something that should not happen, a child does not see it that way and cannot understand how an adult views the tantrum until they reach maturity. In the same manner, things that we consider to be grievous acts that should never be committed, such as murder, a child cannot fathom the repercussions of the act. Obviously the child acted wrongly by committing the act, but it is going to take the rest of his juvenile years and into adulthood before he will understand the weight of his crime and feel remorse for it. We should save our judgment for when/if that happens.
ReplyDeleteIn my eyes a crime is a crime, there was no real provocation for a crime like this. The kid definitely deserves more time than he received, it is complete crap that he is practically getting away with this. It only teaches children that if you hate someone kill them early to you have a chance to get out of prison in time to be able to have a drink at the bar. A double murder at age 11 over a jealousy issue, my mind can not even comprehend what this kid was thinking. Sometimes this system makes complete sense to me and other times it makes me so mad that I can not believe that I want to be a part of it.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Serena
Ii think its clear that this child needs help. hopefully he is able to receive it and find out what the root of the problem is. i do feel that the punishment fits the crime he is 11 years old not 15 or 16. i think it could be questioned whether or not he was fully aware of his actions. also what is his mentality by age. does he have a mentality of an 11 year old or is he at 6. many different ways to view this but one thing is clear this kid needs help.
ReplyDeleteLike some others stated I find it odd how a child was able to get a hold of a weapon. At the same time I think that first degree is a bit harsh for a child who probably lacks the ability to understand his actions.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article it is clear to me that Jordan Brown is a very disturbed individual that needs help. However, I do not believe that the punishment that he received matched the crime in this particular situation. I believe that he should be placed in a institution that is best suited to help him on the road to recovery. Since he was 11, I do not believe that it is plausible that he was ENTIRELY aware of the actions that he was taking. I do feel he was competent enough to realize that his actions were wrong but I do not believe that he knew just how bad they were. This story is unfortunate but it demonstrates that more awareness needs to be given to children at that age regarding heinous crimes.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting article that really intrigued me. I feel that this child is very disturbed and definitely needs to receive help for his specific needs. I do not feel that he gain get this kind of help in prison so I do not believe that he should receive jail time. I think he should be placed in a juvenile center with strict supervision while speaking to people that could help him until he is 21 years old. I believe that he should not be charged with 1st degree murder in this case because I am convinced that he did not know just how serious his actions were. I feel that he knew he was doing wrong but I think that most 11 year old's do not think about what that means for his future.
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ReplyDeleteIt is quite shocking hearing about crimes like this committed by young kids and sadly it is not that uncommon. I disagree with your stance that he should be given harsher punishment and more years. At age 11 kids know what is right and whats wrong but sometimes they do not fully appreciate what wrong and right is. Kids sometimes dont realize the severity and implications of some actions are. I believe he can benefit from treatment and rehab and be released at 21 because he is still young and can learn and grow and change his ways. Adults are more set in their ways and have habits that are solidified. it is harder for them to change their ways
ReplyDeleteI agree with the state on this one. I cannot fathom trying an 11 year old child as an adult. What he did was tragic but did he truly grasp the consequences of ending a life at his age? The reality is that we do not know what life was like at home for this child. I am not justifying him shooting his step-mother, I agree he should be put through juvenile rehabilitation centers. Two lives are already lost due to this tragedy, hopefully the courts as well as juvenile officers can see that it is not three.
ReplyDeleteAt a certain age we most certainly know the difference between right and wrong. This case is no different. If the allegations of abuse were found to evident then they would most certainly worked in his favor. Even though this young boy is eleven years old he must have been found to be mentally competent in order to stand trial. At eleven most of us knew that it is wrong to hurt and shoot anyone else. It sounds like this boy is mentally disturbed and needs treatment which it seems as though he is will receive that. Criminals like Jordan are getting younger and younger, that seems to be the scary part. The system can not sentence him to death which is a sentence he would have received if he was an adult. Not only did he kill his father's fiancee but he also took the life of baby inside her womb. Those details can not be ignored at all. It is a tragic situation when you have you have to put away an eleven year old but the crime was so cold hearted that it is obvious that this child needs help.
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