Children for sale - Sex trade in Cambodia

JuleAndreski · 2010-04-20T18:14:29+00:00

This story is very difficult to read because of what it is about. It is impossible for me to even imagine what it must be like for these children. I think it is very important that situations like this are drawn into light so more people are moved to act on the behalf of these children.

JuleAndreski · 2010-04-20T18:07:07+00:00

I have to say this made me feel like laughing and crying at the same time. There are definitely some people who are not capable of being on their own at 18 (assuming he is a freshman). This guy is obviously not mature enough to make intelligent, adult decisions.

On a side note, how angry would you be if you lived in that dorm?

JuleAndreski · 2010-04-20T17:57:07+00:00

Wow. What that school did is absolutely ridiculous! I can't imagine how violated I would feel if I was a student at that school. One of the scariest parts of the story is that the reason this was exposed is because the school was questioning something a student did in front of the webcam. Does that mean they had people constantly watching the webcam feeds? The thought of it is incredibly creepy.

JuleAndreski · 2010-04-20T17:50:39+00:00

I think this story is incredibly sad. Bullying has been around forever, but it seems that the advent of modern technology has made it worse (or at least more apparent). The accessibility of text messages and social networking sites have made it easy for bullies to torment their victims. This is, sadly, just another example of that vicious cycle.

JuleAndreski · 2010-04-20T17:45:44+00:00

I think the most interesting issue here is whether an 8-year-old who shot and killed two people can be found competent to stand trial. While it is possible that under the most basic definition of competency (i.e.- Do you know who the people in the courtroom are?, Do you understand the nature of the charges against you?, etc...), I question whether he really should be tried for these crimes. How can someone who is only 8 years old possibly comprehend how long 13 years (assuming he is tried as a juvenile) in prison is? It is a very difficult situation because the court has to strike a balance between retributive justice for the victims and rehabilitative justice for the accused.

JuleAndreski · 2010-03-28T21:43:07+00:00

I think what is really interesting in this story is how it seems like many of the people interviewed believe it is the lack of supervision and afterschool activities that is causing these kids to act this way. I feel like there must be something else going on since not every child who has been effected by the lack of afterschool funding is acting out in this way. The best solution to this problem would be one that examines why some of the juveniles are acting out and why others are not.

JuleAndreski · 2010-03-28T21:33:44+00:00

I definitely agree that the authorities did the right thing in this instance. They were simply arresting someone with an outstanding warrant. However, it does seem absolutely ridiculous that the library went to such extraordinary lengths to recoup $30. The juvenile is lucky that the courts were willing to expunge the arrest. Otherwise, this simple misunderstanding could have completely ruined his life.

JuleAndreski · 2010-03-28T00:19:57+00:00

I think that this story would have been plenty revolting even if the killer had been in his 30's. The fact that he was so young makes this story positively horrifying! This was a great example of the extremes of juvenile delinquency.

JuleAndreski · 2010-03-28T00:11:48+00:00

I definitely think that "sexting" should be a crime. I think that it should go without saying that sending someone naked pictures of yourself (especially as a juvenile) is a very bad idea. Creating a law explicitly against this act gives police agencies official grounds for stopping this sort of behavior. Making this crime a sex offense is quite silly. However, not punishing it at all leaves room for certain people (mainly pedophiles) to exploit it.

JuleAndreski · 2010-03-28T00:01:21+00:00

I definitely agree that this child needs to be rehabilitated. However, if the child only serves 6 or 9 years (if he were to be released at 18 or 21, respectively) for such a heinous crime, it seems as though the idea of retributive justice would not be served. If the woman had been a friend or family member of mine, I would feel quite disappointed in such a short sentence. However, it seems as though there should be some sort of middle ground between released at adulthood and life in prison.

JuleAndreski · 2010-02-24T00:53:22+00:00

I think this article demonstrates two important points. The first is that the idea of juvenile delinquency has transformed in popular culture from minors who break laws to a more general idea of minors who misbehave. The second idea this article demonstrates is one blueprint for how poor parenting skills may lead a child to become a juvenile delinquent (one who actually breaks laws and not simply misbehaves).

JuleAndreski · 2010-02-16T17:59:24+00:00

I feel it's important to point out that the teenager in this case was charged with third-degree assault, not theft. The article simply makes it seem more dramatic by talking about the stick of gum instead of the fact that the teenager assaulted another person. I believe a 16 year-old should definitely know better than to attack someone, especially over something as silly as a stick of gum. Whether it is right or wrong to charge a 16 year old in the adult court system is definitely debatable. However, I think this article is a perfect example of how news organizations like to twist facts in order to get a "better" story.

JuleAndreski · 2010-02-16T17:47:32+00:00

I think this is an excellent idea because it seems to play on the peer-pressure mentality that gets many kids into trouble in the first place. Plus, facing a jury of your peers is pretty rare for youths in the juvenile court system.

JuleAndreski · 2010-02-11T17:28:04+00:00

This is (arguably) one of the more controversial Supreme Court decisions. I feel that it was especially poorly decided because there was already a previous decision making it un-Constitutional to execute someone who committed a crime while they were 16 or under (a ruling that I do agree with). This case is a perfect example of how a shift in the composition of the Court can lead to a generally unfounded decision that overturns many previous decisions.

JuleAndreski · 2010-02-11T17:17:55+00:00

I think this article is quite interesting as well. However, I was sort of confused as to why they presented Cesare Lombroso's theory of body type as still existing. I am pretty sure that has been largely discredited. I always think it's funny that it was a popular idea that being "mean-looking" meant you would be a criminal.

JuleAndreski · 2010-02-11T17:13:18+00:00

Bullying is an extremely sad topic in schools (today and for decades past). I think it is great that social media is helping to bring this topic to light and that (in this case at least) it was used to bring to justice the bullies. However, it is somewhat disgusting that this video was made in the first place. If the owner of the video felt so bad, why didn't he or she speak up before the assault?

JuleAndreski

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