Anna’s Comments (group member since Apr 19, 2009)

Anna’s comments from the Gig Harbor AP Language reads Dead Man Walking group.

When a person turns the age of eighteen (obviously I havn't experienced this myself but...) it seems as if a switch would go off that "I am now respondsible for my own actions." Kids have the feeling that they are protected by mom and dad up to that age in their life and parents can fix any mistakes made. Hitting that age should send a signal that they now have to fend for themselves.
As it was mentioned before, the government recognizes 18 as the set age to treat a person as an adult. If the government thinks 17-years-olds are kids, guess what, so does the kid. We too often view ourselves the way others view us. If teachers think we are dumb, we live up to it. If coaches think we are unathletic, we often live up to that as well. We are influenced more by what others think of us than what we think of ourselves. Eighteen it the year that this mindset should be reversed automatically. To relate this back to the death penalty for minors, kids think they are supposed to act out and "be a teenager." For some this mindset obviously goes way too far and can lead to violence crimes such as rape and murder. But, it is society that has influnced their actions, not themselves. I do not believe that a teeneage murderer thinks that killing is just a kid thing but the societal expectation, or lack of expectation resides in their mind. Let a kid be punished for his wrongs but not by death.

*It also seems to me that the fact that Willie Francis, the 17-year-old, was sentensed to death and not killed the first time he was electricuted is a sign: KIDS DESERVE SECOND CHANCES.