JM Ch 5, 7, 8 Discussion Pd 8 by Erin Flynn https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm Post your group's response to each question below. en-us 2021-05-13 14:54:31 UTC 2021-05-13 17:43:59 UTC hello@padlet.com Chase, Shefali, Conor W 22latyakr https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521941617 The information in this section directly relates to Just Mercy because the main case of the book, the Walter McMillian case, centers around a man who was wrongly convicted. McMillian was put on Death Row for a crime he did not commit, and unfortunately he is not the only one. As the website details, an increasing number of innocent people are being jailed, and one reason cited in the article for this phenomenon is official indifference. The corruption and indifference of officials is the entire reason why McMillian was put in jail, as they just wanted someone to jail even if it was not the right person. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:16:20 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521941617 Alex, Connor F, Ryan M, and Aaron 22napolia https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521944635 No justice is not being served. Lifes are being taken for mistakes made as a child, when they came up from bad circumstances and are punished severely. By giving them life without parole, you never give them the opportunity to earn their freedom back, and essentially condemn them to death. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:17:04 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521944635 Conor W, Chase, Shefali https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521945541 I would have shortened the sentence, put them in a juvenile jail for young people, and have them counseled for their psychiatric problems. Trina had clear trauma and should have been in a mental hospital. Ian should have received a lesser sentence because he did not have parental supervision, it was not his gun, and he had an incompetent lawyer. Antonio should have been placed in a mental facility, as he had major trauma and did not deserve to be in prison for life because he did not even injure anyone.]]> 2021-05-13 17:17:17 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521945541 Chase, Shefali, Conor W 22mauryas https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521947937 They all had an abusive past that resulted in trauma. Their backgrounds should definitely make a difference in their sentencing, given that the trauma and the mental illnesses they had severely impacted their decision making. Also, they’re children. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:17:51 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521947937 Grace H, Grace N, Sydney, Abby https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521948173 We wouldn’t send them to adult prisons. It would have been more beneficial to send them to mental health rehabilitation facilities, and we would have given them a lesser sentence. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:17:55 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521948173 Chase, Conor, Shefali 22latyakr https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521948503 No, because their brains are still developing, and they can rehabilitate much faster than adults. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:17:59 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521948503 Alex, Connor F, Ryan M, and Aaron 22napolia https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521950614 Would have tried them as juveniles instead of adults, as well as giving them medium sentences with early chances for parole for good behavior. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:18:29 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521950614 Sydney Clous, Abby Criscuolo, Grace Holland, Grace Niemeyer https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521951430 Justice is not being served when children are sentenced to die in prison because they are thrown in prison before their minds are fully developed and their decision making skills are at a peak. When throwing a child in prison to serve out a sentence till they die, it is not teaching them anything and is not benefiting anyone when they are not only not matured mentally enough to handle such a sentence, but also susceptible to predators of men who are also imprisoned for life. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:18:41 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521951430 Abby, Grace H, Grace N, Sydney https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521952884
All three of them were from low-income backgrounds and suffered from abuse. Their background definitely should have been factored into their sentencing, as it explains why they did what they did. Their mental health issues also should have been factored in so they could have been sent to a mental health rehabilitation facility instead of a prison.  

]]> 2021-05-13 17:19:02 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521952884 Alex, Connor F, Ryan M, and Aaron 22napolia https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521952893 Before any of these children were arrested, they lived hard lives surrounded by abuse, poverty, and drug addiction as they were all from low income areas with high crime rates.  This background should make a difference in their sentencing because it impacts why they would do the crime in the first place and it would help what other people influenced them into doing this crime.]]> 2021-05-13 17:19:02 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521952893 olivia and allie 22kerro https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521954265 Life before jail for all of the children was devastating. Most of the children sentenced to life in jail under the age of 14 are living under the poverty line, are abused or face bad living conditions. This should make a difference in their sentencing because the things happening during their childhood were unavoidable and not their fault. The environment they were in affects their mental health and their ability to make decisions. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:19:22 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521954265 Olivia and Allie 22grzywinskia https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521954395 I think for a large majority of the time, no. From what I read about Trina, Ian, and Antonio’s cases, none of them deserved life in prison or a death sentence. I think it’s more important to get children like these the help that they need, mostly with mental health and domestic issues. In Ian’s case, he spent 18 years in solitary confinement, and even the woman who he shot believed he shouldn’t be in there. A child does not need to die for “justice” to be served, especially when court cases aren’t always fair in the sense of juries, race implications, poverty, etc. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:19:24 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521954395 Olivia and Allie 22grzywinskia https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521957134 I believe that the lawyers in their cases did not do much to help Trina, Ian, and Antonio. As Stevenson said, Ian’s lawyer pushed him to plead guilty to the crime he was convicted for, but he was unaware of some of the laws in the state. Ian still got a life sentence regardless of pleading guilty. I would have pushed for the children to not be tried as adults and bring in more facts about their life, physical/mental health, abandonment, etc. I don’t think their lawyers focused enough on the facts that they were all mistreated, homeless/abandoned, and had severe mental health issues. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:20:05 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521957134 Sydney Clous, Abby Criscuolo, Grace Niemeyer, Grace Holland https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521959514
  • Similarly to the information Stevenson discussed in the chapters, even today children as young as eight can be charged as adults. The age at which a child can be thrown into prison still stays undecided as children of all ages wind up in prison and some for life. In the same way Stevenson described the sentences of a few children, children are being charged harshly at young ages for crimes where no one was even hurt.  When sentencing a child, their age and background are not taken into consideration for example how in the chapters Trina’s tragic childhood was not allowed to be mentioned in her trial. 

    • ]]>     2021-05-13 17:20:28 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521959514     olivia and allie 22kerro https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521965318 The information I read on this topic immensely relates to the cases summarized in chapter 8. Trina, Ian, and Manuel were all children sentenced to life in prison and they were all put into adult facilities. Ian proved a lot of what the statistics were saying, such as that he was very suicidal and cut himself with anything sharp he could find. His mental state was very poor due to the fact that he was in solitary confinement. Despite all of these kids showing improvement in the facilities they were housed in, they spent many years in jail. Additionally, all of their trials seemed to be unfair due to the lack of effort from their lawyers, unjust laws, and not showing evidence of their mental health issues. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:21:47 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521965318 Nicole and Rylee https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521974725 No, there is so much time left in their life and many of the crimes they commit do not even warrant death. Their brains are not fully developed so they do not understand the gravity of many situations. There is so much time to actually fix children's mental state and taking their lives away for a choice that they did when they were not developed is unjust. 

    ]]>     2021-05-13 17:24:00 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521974725     Nicole and Rylee https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521979765 Each of the kids struggled with domestic abuse, rape, assault, and poverty in their youth. This should of course be taken into account when sentencing them, because the trauma that comes from these events can permanently affect the brain and in turn make them make rash decisions without thought or understanding. 

    ]]>     2021-05-13 17:25:06 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521979765     Dani, Jess, Victoria, Grace 22treong https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521980062
  • We would not make them serve the full penalty, they are not adults and their brains are not fully developed so they should not be treated like an adult would. They can also be influenced and not understand the repercussions of their actions. 
  • Their upbringings, mental illnesses, and abuse/trauma should all be factors included when deciding there punishment
  • The children still had time to develop, change, and learn, in their cases they needed help not punishment, sending children to a mental hospital or rehab can be more beneficial then putting them in prison. Children should be given the opportunity to grow up.  

    • ]]>     2021-05-13 17:25:10 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521980062     Victoria, Grace, Dani, Jessica https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521980424 Justice is not being served because kids have so much life ahead of them but the death penalty takes away their lives. When kids commit crimes, their brains are not fully developed yet so it would be ignorant to fully penalize a kid for not understanding the entirety of the situation.]]> 2021-05-13 17:25:15 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521980424 Dani, Grace, Jess, Victoria https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521992128
  • Each of the children came from hard backgrounds. The children came from abusive families and had parents who died at a young age. Since all of the children had very challenging childhoods and were abandoned and did not have a stable living situation, this caused physiological problems from mental/emotional trauma. 
  • This understanding about their backgrounds should most definitely make a difference in their sentencing because each of the children had serious mental/emotional trauma which caused psychological problems and each of the children came from communities with high poverty and crime rates which influences the children's actions and decision making skills. 

    • ]]>     2021-05-13 17:27:45 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1521992128     The information I read in the chapters that said how the children faced adult convictions, for instance, Trina faced 2nd Degree Adult Murder. By such conviction, she was sent into an adult prison, as the article states this happens frequently. Even though she had such past trauma and is only 13 years old, the court still gave her an adult sentence. The article discusses how judges do not look into the lives of children and their background, instead treat their crimes the same as an adult with a fully developed brain. 22amatrudoj https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522000500 Dani, Victoria, Grace, and Jessica]]> 2021-05-13 17:29:40 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522000500 Nicole and Rylee https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522001362
  • I think that a lot of these crimes should have less harsh sentencing because a lot of them was tried as adults and no one considered their backgrounds
    • Many of these sentences should have had significantly reduced jail time, maybe payments, but some of them definitely should be sent to get mental help for their trauma
  • Many of these sentences were too harsh and the courts need to consider more about age and background

    • ]]>     2021-05-13 17:29:52 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522001362     Angela, Julia https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522015092 Justice isn’t being served when children are sentenced to prison for life. They are children who should be treated as such. This makes me really mad because society has such double standards. Julia brought up the point that we are constantly told “oh grow up, act your age” but then children get put in adult prison??? And for life???]]> 2021-05-13 17:32:55 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522015092 Julia and Angela https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522015649
  • None of them should have been sent to jail
    • They were so young that had room for growth and change
    • They all had really crappy lives: mental illness and violence in their childhood
    • Being sent to a mental hospital would help them more than jail


    ]]>     2021-05-13 17:33:03 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522015649     Julia and Angela https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522017360
  • Trina
    • Dad was abusive/violent/alcoholic
    • Her dad straggled the dog then beat it with a hammer
    • Taught to be invisible to stay out of harm’s way
    • Was bouncing from relative to relative or the streets
  • Ian
    • Lived on the streets 
    • Had no parents
    • Shoplifted for food
    • Shot a woman during an attempted robbery
  • Antonio
    • Grew up in a violent area in LA 
    • Around gangs and people got killed from crossfire
    • Beat by his father+neglective/depressed mother
    • Went to Vegas and had to come back because of probation
    • Suffered PTSD and trauma symptoms being around where his brother was shot


    ]]>     2021-05-13 17:33:28 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522017360     Nimah and Jayda https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522019818 Before they were arrested they all came from troublesome backgrounds. They all experienced immense trauma which was a major catalyst for the crimes they were sentenced for. That understanding should be taken into account because their trauma was out of their childhood trauma and how they were raised made them come to the point they were at then.And that the background of a child who is incarcerated is most likely the reason they have committed the crime and what has got them to that point.




    ]]>     2021-05-13 17:34:04 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522019818     Angela, Julia https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522022024 2021-05-13 17:34:35 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522022024 Nimah and Jayda https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522022454 I would have changed the ruling of their sentencing. I would have taken into account their past and either sentenced them until they were 18 in a facility and state mandated therapy or just sent them to a juvenile facility for adequate mental health care until they were 18 and then reviewed their cases. 

    ]]>     2021-05-13 17:34:41 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522022454     Nimah and Jayda https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522025648 Justice is not being served in cases when children are being put to death or sentenced to life in jail since when a child commits a crime it is most likely due to the fact of proper childhood or where horrible circumstances that the child had to go through.]]> 2021-05-13 17:35:25 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522025648 Ryan, Connor, Aaron, Alex https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522028821 The idea of excessive punishment applies to the stories of the different people in chapter eight. As teenagers they were all sentenced to lengthy punishments for their crimes, even though they probably should not have received them. For example, Trina Garnett was sentenced to life in prison after she accidently killed two people in a fire. It is much too common for criminals, especially kids, to receive a punishment that is more harsh than it should be.


    ]]>     2021-05-13 17:36:07 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522028821     Nolan, Imani, Wyatt https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522030763 Children are young and impressionable , they need guidance to help them progress throughout their life. Evil is a learned trait and if children are young and having to face legal trouble this is probably a result of their environment which they can't control. As a result they should not face death sentences, not this young.

    ]]>     2021-05-13 17:36:32 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522030763     Nolan, Imani, Wyatt https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522033005
  • I would have helped the kids get into homes and care facilities instead of prisons.
  • I would have made sure the measures to an extent that these kids were abused were taken into consideration when they were sentenced, this would include medical records, records of abuse and other things that affected these kids and led them to this.



    • ]]>     2021-05-13 17:37:00 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522033005     Imani, Nolan, Wyatt https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522039558 Life was atrocious for the teenagers before prison, and the backgrounds can help contribute to the necessity and severity of the crime. As people can get off murder for temporary insanity in today’ world, these backgrounds should help create some sort of environment where the defendants were struggling.]]> 2021-05-13 17:38:29 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522039558 Nicole and Rylee https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522062873 In the 8th chapter, we read there were stories about younger kids who were convicted that were in very tough situations, to begin with. When I read these articles there was a lot of information about people who had issues with drugs or minor crimes that were being severely punished. Even though they have not had direct punishment in jail, the sentences they receive are considered to be harsh because not only are they children, but their upbringings were really tough. There are too many situations that are not given enough consideration before the decisions are made, resulting in unfair treatment and excessive punishment. ]]> 2021-05-13 17:43:57 UTC https://padlet.com/eflynn6/c9ju9nhbao9drppm/wish/1522062873