Spring Break
Locked-up lads
By: Kaitlyn Drinkwater
Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: Opinion
Evan Savoie and Jake Eakin were 12 years old when they violently murdered 13-year-old Craig Sorger. According to "60 Minutes," neither boy had a history of violence, and both were deemed by a forensic psychologist to be relatively normal kids, not psychopaths. The psychologist cited other cases of violent behavior by kids, saying the boys were trying to understand violence; to decide how they feel about it and if they were capable of it.
Under Washington law, the boys were tried as adults due to the violence of their crime. Similar laws currently exist in 40 states, down from all 50 plus D.C. during the '90s, when juvenile violence suddenly rose. Many states are now rewriting their legislation and, as of a 2005 Supreme Court decision, minors can no longer receive the death penalty. Despite changing times, the laws remain popular in many states.
When an offender is tried as a juvenile they receive treatment until they are 21 years old and are then released. The legal debate surrounding trying minors as adults revolves around the question, "Are there some crimes from which there can be no 'recovery,' regardless of age?" On that point, there is no universal agreement.
There are some people who are sociopaths or psychopaths and, even at a young age, are too much of a danger to be released into society. Lately, however, a disturbing trend has grown. Minors guilty of much less are being tried as adults. As a matter of fact, a majority of the 200,000 juveniles tried as adults in 2006 were not violent offenders, according to Campaign for Youth Justice.
One example, Keith Pearl, was with three other boys when one of them stole gym clothes from a fifth boy, not with the group. Keith never had possession of the weapon used in the robbery and was not an active participant. He was the only suspect apprehended and did not have any of the stolen good with him when he was arrested.
Under Illinois law, Keith was charged under the theory of accountability with armed robbery. He plead guilty to one count of robbery to avoid a minimum six year prison sentence, had he gone to trial. After serving several weeks in an adult prison he was released on probation. He went to night school to make up for time lost in prison and graduated high school. He plans to go to college, but with an adult felony conviction following him, opportunities to get loans are limited.
Under Washington law, the boys were tried as adults due to the violence of their crime. Similar laws currently exist in 40 states, down from all 50 plus D.C. during the '90s, when juvenile violence suddenly rose. Many states are now rewriting their legislation and, as of a 2005 Supreme Court decision, minors can no longer receive the death penalty. Despite changing times, the laws remain popular in many states.
When an offender is tried as a juvenile they receive treatment until they are 21 years old and are then released. The legal debate surrounding trying minors as adults revolves around the question, "Are there some crimes from which there can be no 'recovery,' regardless of age?" On that point, there is no universal agreement.
There are some people who are sociopaths or psychopaths and, even at a young age, are too much of a danger to be released into society. Lately, however, a disturbing trend has grown. Minors guilty of much less are being tried as adults. As a matter of fact, a majority of the 200,000 juveniles tried as adults in 2006 were not violent offenders, according to Campaign for Youth Justice.
One example, Keith Pearl, was with three other boys when one of them stole gym clothes from a fifth boy, not with the group. Keith never had possession of the weapon used in the robbery and was not an active participant. He was the only suspect apprehended and did not have any of the stolen good with him when he was arrested.
Under Illinois law, Keith was charged under the theory of accountability with armed robbery. He plead guilty to one count of robbery to avoid a minimum six year prison sentence, had he gone to trial. After serving several weeks in an adult prison he was released on probation. He went to night school to make up for time lost in prison and graduated high school. He plans to go to college, but with an adult felony conviction following him, opportunities to get loans are limited.
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