[Khadra]

Originally Posted by CanadaCraig

"THEY ARE CHILDREN!"

You're right. But legally speaking - a 17 year old is a CHILD. Are you trying to suggest that a 17 year old doesn't fully understand the implications of their actions?! Exactly who do you think I'm talking about? 4 year olds?! 2 year olds?! And what do you think I'm suggesting? SING SING prison for 8 year olds? Use your imagination. Of course a CHILD shouldn't be shipped off to the 'rock pile'. But even CHILDREN want abusive CHILDREN to be held accountable for their actions. Nothing says, "I don't care about you!", MORE than, "You are NOT accountable for what you do."

GBH - Craig

I never said they shouldn't be held accountable, but there is no reason they need to be tried criminally. Especially when we're talking about the 12 and under category. The purpose of punishing kids is to teach them a lesson and make them stop their bad behaviour right? Well if adult intervention and therapy can make them stop, why prosecute them? What will it achieve?

And no, I don't believe many 17 year olds do understand the implication of their actions. They may understand better than a 10 year old, but they still don't fully understand. That is why we don't let them drink, smoke, vote, or gamble. You can't treat them like a child in some cases and like adults in others.

The parents and the school system are the ones that need to deal with this. Bullies can and should be expelled from school until/unless they complete therapy and the therapist has said they are ready to go back.