AbdullaJones Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Say you have a daughter aged 17 who is mentally aged only around 6 and they break the law. How are they/should they be dealt with? As an adult or as a child? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alchresearch Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 It depends on the law broken and whether the daughter should have been under adult supervision due to her mental condition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbdullaJones Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 Which law is broken is irrelevant. Minor, major, it doesnt matter really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mafya Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I would say that if the mental age is 6yrs old than they should be treated as a 6yr old IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddycoffee Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 If she is 17 she is still only a child anyhow. You are not classed as an adult until 18. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbdullaJones Posted July 15, 2012 Author Share Posted July 15, 2012 If she is 17 she is still only a child anyhow. You are not classed as an adult until 18. But at 17 you arent tried as a child in juvenile court are you?. Unless im wrong and 17 year olds are. Either way, the question is still valid. Should she be treated as if she were 17 or 6? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halibut Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 As if she was 6, clearly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigsexydoug Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 i suppose they could and probably should be tried as an adult but under the care of social services in some sort of mental health unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 As an adult with a mental disability, clearly if an adult with the mental age of six year old commits rape or murder we can’t punish them by making them sit on the naughty step for two minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfox Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I think it does matter which law the person has broken. The more serious the offence then the fact the individual has a mental illness can cause all manner of problems as far as sentencing -whatever your view may be on the purpose of sentencing - If the offence involves loss of life then there are bound to be grave concerns as to how the offender should be dealt with to prevent repetition but also how you manage such an individual either in a closed setting and potentially at some point in the community - We spend a very great deal of time and money and expertise in the most serious cases considering the illness (or establishing that one exists) trying to maintain as much of the criminal process as is possible and then passing sentence. These cases are often tragic in all manner of ways - not always - but if there is an offender who has no concept because of an illness of the gravity of what they have done it doesn't take much thought to imagine the problems it can cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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