I just watched a video provided by MSNBC news regarding 8 teens that were charged in Florida for videotaping the kidnapping and beating of a fellow classmate. Apparently it started due to a comment posted on facebook about members of the accused that lead them to kidnap her video tape and proceed to punch, hit and beat her. According to MSNBC, the first blow to the head knocked the victim unconscious which after the accused proceeded wake her up only to continue the batery. Questions around how they will be charged and what they will be charged for are circulating, but the charges currently stand as:
1) Batery
2) Witness Tampering
3) Kidnapping and
4)'other misdemeanors.'
The courts say they will be charged as adults but whether the charges will go to trial or into some sort of settlement has not been decided yet. According to state law, the kidnapping charge could lead to a life prison term, witness tampering five years and batery up to one year, but no one expects that the life sentence would actually occur. The girls who participated in the crime were ages 14, 15, and 16. One of the MSN reporters argues that the judge has discretion to make it a juvenile charge and that one of the things that could lead to that would be that it could be considered "a fight between girls" since the accused were upset about something the victim wrote on facebook. According to the videos posted on MSNBC there is the possibility of some of these girls released on bond: 30,000 dollars in monetary bonds, plus all the teens would be placed under house arrest, unable to attend their current school, unable to contact the victim or her family and they'll have restricted access to the Internet. Since many speculate that there will not be any sort of jail sentence, debates about whether releasing on bond would be a slap on the hand, or a real learned lesson. That's the story MSNBC is providing, I hope that I got everything important down, but for now I have to say how disturbed and shookin up I am about this.
I do not, I can not understand why people would want to inflict pain on others and I can not believe that these teens taped it as if they enjoyed the whole process. It disgusts me to think that facebook can lead to something like that. In NO case, other than maybe self-defense, do I think that it is right to cause physical harm to someone, ESPECIALLY over a comment posted on facebook. The 6 girls and 2 boys that participated in the beating definitely have some issues that need to be addressed, and I do not think that setting them out on bond, and under house arrest is enough of a repercussion. I definitely also disagree that a life sentence, or even a jail term would suffice because I believe that its way more important to address issues within the individuals themselves. Obviously they have something wrong with them that makes them think its okay to beat, kidnap and video tape someone in the process and therefore they need to be addressed. I definitely think rather then throwing them in a jail setting that would just keep them barricaded they need to enter into youth programs, anger management programs, community service, maybe a juvenile delinquency center. Whatever the repercussions are, they need to target the problem areas within the individuals themselves. Either way I think the whole think is f'd up and the victim will never forget the emotional scars they inflicted on her.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24067427>1=43001 thats the link to the video and article. Let me know what you all think about it. I warn you though, its pretty unsettling.
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