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Quote: from Pixel Dust at 7:08 pm on Nov. 24, 2008

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There is no set age in America.  
 They have tried 8 year old for first-degree murder.  

 And depending on the circumstances, I don't agree with having a set age.

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I agree with this, however, I do think that anyone under the age of seven should not be eligible for blame in a murder case. That's my line; I don't want any kindergartners charged for murder.

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I think i would agree with this but here is whta i was going to say when i was going to be the 2nd person to reply (before i lost internet):

10.
Maybe 12, but i think 10. At 10 you know killing is wrong, end of. And you know what, if you have had such a screwed up life that your parents didn't teach you that then that will be your case in court and if you have enough to back it up then you shouldn't be found guilty.
I don't think you should be tried as an adult and get the death penalty but you should be held accountable for your actions.
In England it was 14 but it was lowered back to 10 because of the Jamie Bulger case in 1993.

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Because we're hotter when we don't give a damn

There is a reason that people are not all tried the same way. People vary in their understanding. A 36 year old may not be held accountable for the same crime a 7 year old committed and was convicted for.

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A 6 or 7 year old is still capable of understanding that playing with guns, and shooting people, is wrong.
Just because they are young doesn't mean they weren't taught that, or that they are incapable of understanding.

There is a reason that people are not all tried the same way. People vary in their understanding. A 36 year old may not be held accountable for the same crime a 7 year old committed and was convicted for.

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I think they should be held accountable for murder but not for accidental deaths like while playing with guns. Because kids are stupid and they do things when they have been told not to.

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Because we're hotter when we don't give a damn

Sounds like a good cutoff to me.

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18, simply because until your brain has developed properly you are influenced by stupid things like your friends and video games and wanting to be in the gang and some guy fucking your girlfriend. Teenage years are a time of trivial disagreements being blown out of proportion. They do not equal evil peoole.

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The very act of having capital murder minimums is stupid. Even adults can be held as irresponsible while ignorant.

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Minimums are stupid, period.

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18, simply because until your brain has developed properly you are influenced by stupid things like your friends and video games and wanting to be in the gang and some guy fucking your girlfriend. Teenage years are a time of trivial disagreements being blown out of proportion. They do not equal evil peoole.

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I wish people would stop making excuses for teenagers.
I'm a teenager, I can tell that its wrong to kill someone or beat up a passer by for no reason. The majority of British youth do not understand that and they won't unless they realise that if they break the law, they're going to Borstal.

Maybe the government should stop spending their citizens' money on stopping non-violent crimes (like drug use or speeding) and actually put some effort into stopping crimes that have an actual victim (not just a very possibly potential one).

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Man will be free when the entrails of the last priest have
been used as a noose to hang the king. - Denis Diderot

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I wish people would stop making excuses for teenagers.
I'm a teenager...

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Maybe the government should stop spending their citizens' money on stopping non-violent crimes (like drug use or speeding) and actually put some effort into stopping crimes that have an actual victim (not just a very possibly potential one).

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Quote: from Mish34 at 4:00 pm on Nov. 29, 2008

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 Maybe the government should stop spending their citizens' money on stopping non-violent crimes (like drug use or speeding) and actually put some effort into stopping crimes that have an actual victim (not just a very possibly potential one).

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Oh and another thing. It has been shown that visible minor crimes increase the likelyhood of people committing major crimes. When minor crime is cracked down on hard major crime rates drop. It's some psychology thing. I'm too lazy to look up the source but if you check out the literature on the topic for yourself I feel confident you'll find the same.

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It'd be much more efficient and effective to crack down on major crime visibly....

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Man will be free when the entrails of the last priest have
been used as a noose to hang the king. - Denis Diderot