Reply #92: I could just as easily ask you what part of *child* you don't understand [View All]

[rockymountaindem]

Like it or not, our society assumes that people under the age of 18 aren't capable of functioning to the same level of people who are legal adults. Whether you think that's a fair distinction is another argument. If the accused was 17, maybe I'd see your point, but to suggest that we execute an adolescent is beyond the pale. As a society, we do not expect people of that age to function at the adult level. We don't invest them with adult rights and responsibilities. He isn't supposed to take care of himself, and the people who were supposed to take care of him obviously didn't do a good enough job of preventing him from doing something incredibly wrong, not to mention stupid.

Unless you're prepared to start treating every 14 year old as if they are adults and capable of voting, driving, joining the military, drinking, having sex with adults etc. there's no way you can support executing this kid. He should be separated from society until he can demonstrate he's not a risk to society. Maybe that will be when he's 18. Maybe it will be when he's 21. Maybe it will be never. However, executing someone we don't expect to have adult mental faculties is morally wrong and hypocritical.