How would you deal with a child accused of setting a massive wildfire?
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Examiner Reader says:
You people who don't want anyone to take responsibility, you can't have it both ways. Either the kid was old enough to know better, or he wasn't. If he was, he should be held fully accountable, and punished in some meaningful, serious way. If he isn't old enough to be responsible for his actions, then that means his parents ARE responsible for his actions. It's one or the other, humans aren't wild animals.
he absolutely needs to be punished somehow; like with anything else, you have to learn at all ages that there are ramifications to your actions. jail may be harsh, and i do not think his parents should be liable- unless they encourages pyrotechnics somehow. Unfortunately the punishment will not fit the crime- but he has to somehow repay, or be forever indebted to California and our Federal Government- he used up Disaster and FEMA funds! I don't know if we will ever get a "satisfactory" decision in this one...juvinile doesnt seem enough. And, since this wasn't a natural disaster, does that change funding structure?
I think there should be some kind of weekend manditory work program until you turns 21 for children who set fires and destroy peoples lives like this. There must be some type of punishment for these types of crimes.
The brat should be tried as an adult and incarcerated under a life without parole sentence. At the same time, his mother and father (that is if he has a father) were derelict in their duties as parents and as such should also be charged as accessories before and after the fact and also given the same sentence as their son, the arsonist. A lot of lovely and substantial people lost their homes and personal belongings, etc., and some lost their lives because of these three disgusting lowlife people.
The child was a preteen and a preteen is not and should not be responsible for this act.
He/she was playing with matches.
MANY kids do.
This child obviously did not know the gravity of doing so in SoCal where there is very little rain and high fire danger.
Let's use some common sense.
At this point there is not enough information to be able to make a proper assesment to vote on the question. Was this child 5 or 15, is he or she a threat in other ways?
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