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I do however not think this type of kidnapping is on the same level as a 3 yr old being taken by a stranger from their front yard and sexually molested/murdered. BIG difference in my opinion.
At what age is a 'child' going to be held responsible for their own actions? 10? 12? 15? 18? 21? If your 13 yr old neighbor murdered your 9 year old, does he get a pass because his parents are horrible people? If a 16 yr old is stealing alcohol from the neighborhood store and drinking it with friends on weekends, is she 'allowed' because her parents are drunks, so its not her fault? LE is starting to charge 13 yr olds as adults in some criminal cases. BIG hot topic there. The stupid viral ' I cashyou ousside, how bat da' teen....... Not responsible for her attitude because?????
Where is the line drawn? If 15 is not responsible AT ALL for their actions, then they should never be out of their parents sight. No school dances, no jobs, no dating, etc. They are not mature enough to know right from wrong?
Then it can be stretched further. Girls mature more quickly than boys. So a girl is responsible enough at 21 to make decisions, but males have to wait til they are 25 to do anything without permission? Who judges when they are ready?
Yes, i'm going to extremes. I'm not trying to change anyones mind on ET. TC most definitely is WRONG, and CRIMINAL because he acted on a situation he should have NEVER even put himself into. ET was told not to do things, she did them anyway. Why, BECAUSE SHE IS 15. and 15 year olds think they know as much as adults. Its only when you are older that you can look back at yourself and say... WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING.
She has had a very rough life and most likely WAS looking for ANYTHING she could grasp onto. I think he sucked her in with the religious aspect, taking her to church with them... BAD MOVE. But it looked ok at the time because his wife was there, he took others, maybe there were friends of hers at that church, WE DON"T KNOW.
They need to be found, she needs MASSIVE amounts of therapy, support and a MUCH more stable environment, and i'm going to go out on a limb and say she needs it AWAY from family. She was unhappy, even in her dads house, and no one noticed this going on thru her SM.... so either it wasn't being supervised, or it didn't jump out to anyone in particular that this girl was headed down a dangerous road. She could have just run away and been a statistic on the streets somewhere. Then we wouldn't be talking about her as much.... and i'm glad it DIDN"T happen that way, because there is a MUCH better chance of finding her now.
This is not black and white. Its shades and shades and shades and until she if found and HER mindset known, its going to be hard to help her.
Its not about him at this point. He'll end up in jail, as he should. HE should have known better, even if he THINKS he had good intentions at one time. HE CAN be blamed for this and SHOULD take the responsibility for ALL of it. And again, when caught, i'll be very curious if he 'mans up' (which i doubt) and admits he knew better and to blame him.
<mod snip> But please, lay it out for me about WHO/WHEN we can decide how to determine responsibility age
Snipped a bit for space.
No one is saying a 15 year old is not responsible AT ALL for their actions. But just because they are 15 doesn't mean they aren't a victim when a fully grown adult who is in a position of authority over them, manipulates, coerces, entices and exploits them.
Based on your analogy here, teens don't need supervision of any kind because they are mature enough to know right from wrong, unless disabled.
And based on your analogy, we should not have the stiff laws against human trafficking of teens that we have because most child prostitutes were runaways and so they bear responsibility- at least some- for their situation.
I understand what you're saying as far as not being the equivalent to taking a three year old. The law across the US typically differentiates based on age of victim and age of perp as well. And here I think the law is the answer when it comes to how "culpable" * a child is in their own victimization.
The answer is based on the age difference between victim and perp. In TN it's a difference of 10 years IIRC, between the age of the minor exploited and the adult.
The big issue here is the incredible imbalance of power. That's why levels of crime are based on the age gap and that's why TN also has a separate statutory rape law when the adult is an authority figure.
We all know there are sophsiticated teens out there who are cunning and streetwise and coolly plan and execute crimes. This child is not one of those teens and she has not committed a crime by being enticed and coerced and for having her confusion, anguish and vulnerabilities exploited.
I wrote a post about the subject earlier. Maybe I will quote it.
By the way, did you know the cashmeousside girl was the victim of intensive parental alienation at the hands of her rage-filled mother who moved and fought and obstructed for years so her father, who spent thousands and got into debt, could not have a relationship with the kid?
That child is a delinquent because her mother destroyed her. She is not responsible for who she is. However, once she starts violating the rights of others, the law steps in because it has no other choice in order to protect society. If parents don't give children limits, or worse, create such turmoil that the kid doesn't care about right and wrong, society steps in and imposes limits and boundaries for the child.
Perhaps we should be more like other countries that don't punish destroyed kids but instead "sentence" them to a new family and intensive psychotherapy.
Regardless, ET is nothing like Danielle Bergoli. She's not a mean, wild, rage-filled child, stealing cars in wild disregard for the rights of others.
Instead, she worked, went to school, dreamt about her upcoming confirmation which was the highlight of her life and looked to her teacher for help and advice and comfort.
And she hasn't committed a crime. Instead, she is the victim of one.
ET bears no responsibility for her own victimization at the hands of her decades older school teacher.
* Here I mean seriousness of the crime.
