Time Isn't Money: Part 4 - 13 Year Old Gets Life Sentence?!

Time = Money = Life ... This is part 4 of a series ... I look forward to your feedback on this topic.

In United States Supreme Court this week, in Sullivan v Florida, the highest court in the land will determine whether or not a life sentence with no chance of parole for a non-homicide crime committed by a 13-year old meets the definition of cruel and unusual.

The fact we've come this far is a real stain on our society. We really have come a long way.

First, the costs of litigating this case since 2006, and the ongoing costs of housing this person in our prison system is in the millions of dollars.

Second, without rehabilitation this young man will probably find himself in more trouble within the prison system, in violent incidences, perhaps inflicting harm on other inmates and / or guards. Why? What does he have to loose?

Third, teens and children are presumed to be less responsible for their actions than adults, because they have inherently impaired powers of judgment and emotional control, simply due to their still-developing brains and bodies.

Forth, this punishment is extreme, and while his crime may have been heinous and extreme also (i.e., the rape and beating of a helpless elderly woman), we have to consider the context in full.

Fifth, our society, it seems, at least in some sub-cultures, prides itself on promotion of sex, drugs, gangs, violence, etc.. Just look at the TV shows, the advertisements, the news, the music, the video games ... it is all around us.

Sixth, our country is loosing the fabric of its value system, lacks strong families, lacks strong educational systems, lacks the focus on our children by parents, and focuses, it seems, too much on dual-income not only as the in thing to do, that both parents (whether divorced or married) should benefit from a career and the reward from same, but in most cases as a necessity, two incomes are required for financial survival (again, whether married or divorced).

Seven, this leaves children growing up in a very precarious position, without both parents in their lives, without strong role models, without a sense of belonging to a family, with high morals and values, and with nothing left to do but go out and get into trouble.

When I think about this child doing what he did to the elderly woman, it makes me sick. However, when I think about what our prison system will do to him over the next 60 years, or maybe only 6 years, depending on how long he survives in there, well that makes me sick also.

It seems to me there are other choices:

1. We can take the millions of dollars in litigation and prison costs and use them to invest in this child - he is the result of our society's inability to provide him with a strong family, a strong community, and a strong set of values and morals. I do not believe this young person is beyond rehabilitation. If it took 13 years to make him into what he is today - he wasn't born evil - then it might take 13 years to fix him, but at least, he won't spend a lifetime locked behind bars, and he might just find a path helping others avoid a similar fate.

2. We can take the billions of dollars collectively spent litigating and on prison housing similar criminals, and invest in our society, families, and communities, to make them better.

I'm confident our Supreme Court Justices will do the right thing.