Physical Age Or Mental Age.

[The_DADDY]

Which should take precedence?

We all age, sadly. We are born, we get physically older and mature mentally, we start school, we age and then leave school maybe go to college/University then leave home and hopefully spread our wings and make out own way in life. 

The milestones of 16, 18 and 21 years of age are important and with each milestone we get more rights but also more responsibility. All good right? 

However for some people growing physically older does not come hand in hand with maturing mentally. In fact for some people maturing mentally never happens to any significant degree. 

An example. 

19 year old young person with a mental age of 11 commits a crime. Should they be treated as a 19 year old adult or an 11 year old child? 

Also, the same 19 year old young adult is able to buy restricted items (booze etc) yet they think like a child and potentially don't understand the dangers of these products. Should they be allowed to buy them?

Also voting, learning to drive, living away from home etc, should someone who thinks like an 11 year old be permitted to do these things simply because they have reached a physical milestone?

 

Your thoughts?

[Jim Hardie]

1 hour ago, The_DADDY said:

Which should take precedence?

We all age, sadly. We are born, we get physically older and mature mentally, we start school, we age and then leave school maybe go to college/University then leave home and hopefully spread our wings and make out own way in life. 

The milestones of 16, 18 and 21 years of age are important and with each milestone we get more rights but also more responsibility. All good right? 

However for some people growing physically older does not come hand in hand with maturing mentally. In fact for some people maturing mentally never happens to any significant degree. 

An example. 

19 year old young person with a mental age of 11 commits a crime. Should they be treated as a 19 year old adult or an 11 year old child? 

Also, the same 19 year old young adult is able to buy restricted items (booze etc) yet they think like a child and potentially don't understand the dangers of these products. Should they be allowed to buy them?

Also voting, learning to drive, living away from home etc, should someone who thinks like an 11 year old be permitted to do these things simply because they have reached a physical milestone?

 

Your thoughts?

I was wondering which extra rights you get at age 21 that you don’t get at 18.

Edit. I know, key of the door.

Edited July 20, 2023 by Jim Hardie

[spilldig]

8 hours ago, The_DADDY said:

Which should take precedence?

We all age, sadly. We are born, we get physically older and mature mentally, we start school, we age and then leave school maybe go to college/University then leave home and hopefully spread our wings and make out own way in life. 

The milestones of 16, 18 and 21 years of age are important and with each milestone we get more rights but also more responsibility. All good right? 

However for some people growing physically older does not come hand in hand with maturing mentally. In fact for some people maturing mentally never happens to any significant degree. 

An example. 

19 year old young person with a mental age of 11 commits a crime. Should they be treated as a 19 year old adult or an 11 year old child? 

Also, the same 19 year old young adult is able to buy restricted items (booze etc) yet they think like a child and potentially don't understand the dangers of these products. Should they be allowed to buy them?

Also voting, learning to drive, living away from home etc, should someone who thinks like an 11 year old be permitted to do these things simply because they have reached a physical milestone?

 

Your thoughts?

Your thoughts?

[Al Bundy]

If you commit a  serious crime at 18, you should be tried as an 18 year old regardless.

 

If your mental age is 11 then this should be taken into account as to where you serve your sentence.

[Findlay]

The current waiting list for mental capacity assessments is two years for children and four years for adults. 

With Covid problems compounding the issue we are heading towards a very broken society unless mental illness is seen on par with phyisical illness with the necessary level of funding and practioners.

Current level of training in the UK makes us incompetent and unable to make that assessment.

 

On the other hand my 15 year old would make a very capable driver, better than what I can say exists on the roads now.

[Al Bundy]

2 hours ago, Findlay said:

The current waiting list for mental capacity assessments is two years for children and four years for adults. 

With Covid problems compounding the issue we are heading towards a very broken society unless mental illness is seen on par with phyisical illness with the necessary level of funding and practioners.

Current level of training in the UK makes us incompetent and unable to make that assessment.

 

On the other hand my 15 year old would make a very capable driver, better than what I can say exists on the roads now.

I think the only people who don't have mental health issues these days are the ones who identify as something they are not!

 

They are perfectly fine, apparently.

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by Al Bundy

[The_DADDY]

10 hours ago, Al Bundy said:

If you commit a  serious crime at 18, you should be tried as an 18 year old regardless.

 

If your mental age is 11 then this should be taken into account as to where you serve your sentence.

Seems reasonable.

[hackey lad]

12 hours ago, Al Bundy said:

If you commit a  serious crime at 18, you should be tried as an 18 year old regardless.

 

If your mental age is 11 then this should be taken into account as to where you serve your sentence.

Common sense .

[cressida]

22 hours ago, Al Bundy said:

On 21/07/2023 at 07:53, Al Bundy said:

 

 

If your mental age is 11 then this should be taken into account as to where you serve your sentence.

 

Agree with that.

Hundreds of schoolkids ran riot in Manchester throwing eggs at the police - now if that had been only one kid it might be judged that he/she needed psychiatric help,  but as there were hundred of them they'd possibly be reported to their schools.  Same story though.

[Al Bundy]

28 minutes ago, cressida said:

Hundreds of schoolkids ran riot in Manchester throwing eggs at the police - now if that had been only one kid it might be judged that he/she needed psychiatric help,  but as there were hundred of them they'd possibly be reported to their schools.  Same story though.

As horrible as that incident was, I personally don't think it warrants anymore than the parents/parent being fined say 200 pounds.

It was a typical mob mentality by feral delinquents who wouldn't care if they got any punishment.

 

Punish the parents, no excuses. The feral would soon stop doing it if this was the case, well the majority would anyway.