Problems With Kids Who Kill

Research on the problem with kids who kill shows that it is a sociological problem and based in psychological malajustment. Paper Masters custom writes research papers on the problem of children who are violent and even kill. Get help today understanding this complex population of youth.

The problem with kids who kill is easy to identify but the solution is still to be discovered. The celebration of violence in video games, movies, on television, and in popular songs has turned into an epidemic of personal tragedies for people living in our Nation's cities. Exacerbated by the ready availability of drugs and weapons, violence has become a public health issue of immediate concern. Yet the sources of violence are deep and long-standing, for ours is a country sharply divided between haves and have-nots; and areas of high poverty concentration have long been susceptible to all forms of violence, from vandalism, robbery, and rape, to suicide the ultimate violence of despair.

In too many communities, children constantly send signals that they feel isolated from and maligned by society. Some tell-tale signs that a child is feeling isolated from society include the following:

• Gang Membership
• Poor School Attendence
• Criminal Behavior
• Obsession with violence or violent activities

These feelings know no geographic, social, or economic boundaries. Increasingly, many youth come from communities where the vast majority of the experiences to which they have been exposed have been hostile. They have had to fight to simply survive. These young men and women are filled with rage and a sense of rejection and, as a result, do not believe that they owe society anything.

At the same time, an increasing number of children who have not grown up in mean, hostile environments are involved in acts of violence. They often cite boredom or the excitement of control as reasons for their actions. It is difficult to understand their rebellion against society.

In response to the problem of kids who kill, is the death penalty an appropriate form of punishment to children who live in the society the adults have created? The answer is simply "no", for psychological and sociological reasons. In regards to the argument that capital punishment is a deterrent to crime, it is helpful to look at the mind of a child criminal. The mind of the criminal is in direct conflict with the purpose of the death penalty.