Kids Who Kill: the New Breed of Murders

A local boy in my town has recently been convicted for viciously murdering a homeless man.Two young boys shot down another, who was only 19, here.We are in a world that is far from what we imagined years ago. The recession is taking jobs, foreclosures are taking homes and all from hard working people. We have all become driven by money.But it is not only us who have changed but our children. The role of children has changed. They have now become killers.

In 1997 more than 90% of juvenile cases were felonies! In 1994 over 2 million arrests were of minors and the numbers have only increased. The increase has lead to a new breed of murders.The majority of juvenile crimes have been committed by African American boys. This may be due to the inequality that still takes place in our country today. More African American boys are raised in areas that are prone to crime, poverty,and poor education. Many factors contribute to the likelihood of children becoming murders. Those juvenile boys -of any race-  usually show no empathy or remorse for their murders.Girls who kill usually do it in packs or do it in the action of committing another crime(such as robbery or assault). Juvenile murders often come from single parent homes, or from parents who are addicts or neglectful. Kids who kill often experience drug abuse or alcohol use of their own. Statistics show that over 50% of children have drank alcohol before 8th grade.

As mentioned, many children who murder do not show remorse. This may be due to the fact that many of them suffer from psychological disorders. A recent study showed that 14% of girls and 7% of boys, ages 12-17 years old have experienced severe depression. 13 to every 100 kids suffer from anxiety disorders. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 12 children, 1 teacher, and themselves as well as injuring 21 others in the Columbine High School massacre. Harris had not only had a history of incidents but also had a history with mental disorder diagnosis.An official statement said that Harris was a “clinical psychopath” and that Klebold was depressed; these may have been the very factors leading to the massacre that they organized and carried through.Eric Smith, at thirteen brutally murdered and sodomized a 4 year old boy. The stories are endless in a sea of tragic crimes of murder committed by minors.

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The brutal acts of murder from these children lead to the conclusions of mental instabilities, anger, and pain that altogether lead to these acts. Other factors may influence it however. Smith,Harris,and Klebold were all notably bullied in school. Many child murderers have been connected with gangs or even white supremacy groups. Two teens who have been connected with a white supremacy group stoned a fifteen year old Vietnamese child to death in 1990; three teens also connected to white supremacist groups in Alabama murdered a homeless man to celebrate Hitler’s birthday.

Many blame the media and new technology that has arisen. Daniel Petric, who is 17, murdered his mother for taking his Halo 3 game away from him. There have been numerous debates as to whether or not violent video games contribute to violent crimes. 20 year old Devin Moore publicly announced that he viewed “life as a video game” after committing a triple homicide!Video games are not alone. A study showed that children witness 8000 murders as well as 200000 other acts of violence through the media by the time they make it to 5th grade.

There are endless excuses, reasons, and links between children and the murders they commit. I do not have the answer to solve the puzzle of this trend, neither does anyone else seem to have it; however I do know that this is  a serious problem and one that should be addressed. These are children-and over night they are murders. There must be a solution and someone must find it.

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