Boy Deemed Too Young For Juvenile Hall (7 yr old)

[The Straight Story]

Boy Deemed Too Young For Juvenile Hall
Mother Calls 7-Year-Old Uncontrollable

POSTED: 10:18 am EST January 12, 2007

TAMPA, Fla. -- A 7-year-old Tampa boy arrested on fighting charges was turned away from juvenile hall for being too young.

A Hillsborough County Sheriff's spokeswoman said the boy was involved in a fight at his bus stop Wednesday morning. The mother of an older child told police the 7-year-old boy threw a book bag at her child, who did not need medical attention.

The mother of the 7-year-old agreed that her son was uncontrollable and should be arrested.

The spokeswoman said a deputy drove to the boy's school and charged him with misdemeanor battery.

The boy was taken to the county's juvenile assessment center, but staff members said the center doesn't accept children under age 10.

http://www.local6.com/news/10732313/detail.html

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Oh great

sounds like a parent handing off responsibility for the kid. But throwing a bookbag--no fisticuffs, no bloody nose? And they are arresting the kid?

[The Straight Story]

3. No wonder jails are over crowded :) (nt)

[redqueen]

8. No kidding...

the parent just throws their hands up and says 'take him', and it's a frickin SEVEN year old?

That parent should be ashamed.

[VelmaD]

2. he is too young

I work in juvenile corrections and putting a child that young in juvenile detention is a disaster waiting to happen. He'd be abused by the older and bigger kids and that's a recipe for turning him into something MUCH worse than he is now.

Not to mention most juvenile facilities that focus on rehabilitation don't have programming aimed at kids that young and at that level developmentally. I know that they have a hard time implementing our Resocialization program with some of the 13 year olds we get and have had to make serious modifications to it.

[Justyce]

4. OMG... surely there must be more to it than that...

arrested for 2 little boys in a scuffle, only throwing a bookbag??

[The Straight Story]

6. I would hope there is more to it

But in this day and age one has to wonder...

[malaise]

10. The US has gone mad

kids fight and get over it. I remember more than a few water gun fights with kids from other schools. We were seen once by a teacher and of course we were punished with detention but locking up seven year olds is madness.
I say lock up the stupid parents.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. No doubt.

[SteppingRazor]

5. Wow, it is such a different world out there...

y'know, I'm still pretty young (just turned 30), but you hear stories like this all the time now, and you never heard them when I was that age. I was an actual delinquent in my early teen years -- y'know, things a little more serious than throwing bookbags around -- and I never even dreamed I'd see the inside of juvey for getting into a scrap.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

7. Rhetorically Speaking, I Think The Mother Should Be Arrested For Child Abuse.

Intentionally having your 7 year old child arrested for throwing a bookbag is most definitely mentally abusive to that child. Some mothers are just plain dumb.

[Sequoia]

16. Something is cleary wrong with her. That boy's in pain.

[Rosemary2205]

9. Where's dad?

When my brothers (well all of us) acted like assholes my dad would beat their asshole. Say what you will about spanking but my brothers knew how to act when they grew up and knew how to "yes maam" and "no sir" people with respect.

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

17. Oh yes, beating your children is a great solution.

:eyes:

[Der Blaue Engel]

11. Is there something in the water in Florida?

:wtf:

[Fleshdancer]

12. It's one thing to request that the police officer talk to the kid....

but to ask that your 7 yr old gets arrested? :wtf: Be the f*cking PARENT already! Damn.

There are days when I question WHY I'm a liberal since so many people piss me off, lol.

[LeftHander]

13. Surprised he wasn't charged as an adult......nt

[stillcool]

14. at his age he still....

has a chance. I was once told by a psychologist that in order to off-set the damage done by neglect and abuse, the child needs to be reached by the age of twelve. Hopefully some good soul will scoop him up, and show him another way.

[qwlauren35]

15. Is it possible that she was misinterpreted?

I'm sure the kid was scared out of his mind. Maybe that was the mom's intent, but not to actually have him locked up.

There are parents who think their kids need a wake-up call beyond what they (the parents) say and do at home. A bit of a sense of what the world is really like.

Her lesson was definitely a waste of taxpayer money, but I remember a time when it wasn't so unusual to ask a neighborhood policeman to just show up and make a kid nervous.