ipl-logo

Documentary Analysis: When Kids Get Life

2470 Words10 Pages

Jessie Townsend May 3rd, 2016 Prof. Allen Wong ASOC283 Why Kids Get Life The documentary “When Kids Get Life” delves into four cases involving juveniles who are serving life without parole in Colorado prisons. All of these juveniles are serving this time due to first degree murder among other charges they have received. The ages of these juveniles at the time of their crimes range from fifteen to seventeen and all of them still currently remain incarcerated. By applying different delinquency theories to each case, there is a chance that one could explain or even rationalize why these juveniles committed the crimes that they did. While their actions may not have been positive ones, there are always mitigating …show more content…

One is the failure to achieve positively valued stimuli, the second is confrontation with negatively valued stimuli and the last is removal of positively valued stimuli. (Wong, Lecture) In Nathan’s case, he constantly suffered from all three of these behaviors. Firstly he was unable to achieve the escape from his parents that he so desperately longed for. Secondly he was constantly abused by both his mother and father and lastly he was taken away from both his friends and the band they were in consistently which removed much of the positive outlets that he had. General Strain Theory also displays three different types of strain. These are experiential strain, anticipated strain and vicarious strain. (Wong, Lecture) While Nathan was undergoing experiential strain from his horrific home life, Erik endured vicarious strain from watching his friend having to deal with the circumstances he was suffering from. The immense strain that Nathan was under was what caused him to eventually snap and murder his mother. Nathan felt unable to escape and dealt with his strain in the only way he thought was possible – killing. Meanwhile Erik assisted his friend because he was feeling vicarious strain and also wanted to help his friend escape the unwanted family situation he was seemingly trapped …show more content…

Within this theory there are two types of punishments and two types of reinforcements. Positive reinforcement deals with the presentation of positive stimuli after an action. Negative reinforcement is when a negative stimulus is taken away. Positive punishment is when undesired consequences are attached to a certain behavior. Lastly, negative punishment is when desired consequences are removed such as material items. What this theory engages with is the assumption that the engagement of behavior begins after the observation of similar behaviors in others. (Wong,

Show More
Related
927 Words | 4 Pages

In the documentary “When Kids Get Life” by Ofra Bikel we see five men who were sentenced to life in prison for committing crimes in their teens. We hear the stories of how it happened, why it happened, and what life is like for them today. This documentary sheds light on the battle that juveniles face when they commit crimes and the judicial system. This documentary relates heavily in the material we learn because although it is about teenagers who receive life in prison, the judicial system plays a key role.

Read More
352 Words | 2 Pages

Could you imagine your 17 year old daughter, who is at her first year in college, being sentenced to life in prison without parole? Yvette Louisell didn’t know that that’s where her life was headed but soon she would find out. She is one out of 37 current Iowa inmates that have been given a life sentence for a crime committed as a juvenile. Louisell lived in Kalamazoo, Michigan but was eagerly hoping to find a way out. Her family life was not very stable.

Read More
519 Words | 3 Pages

The history of “the United States recognizes Curtis Fairchild Jones as the youngest criminal to have been convicted of murder” (Jet, 199). Together with his elder sister, Curtis Fairchild Jones planned the murder of their father’s 29-year-old girlfriend, Sonya Nicole Speights, for what the police described as jealousy and completion for the love of their father. Curtis Fairchild Jones and his 13-year-old sister were very close and one another’s confidante. After their case, Curtis Fairchild Jones and his sister pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and were sentenced to 18 years imprisonment in addition to lifetime probation. Their convicts were taken to juvenile correction centers to serve their respective jail terms.

Read More
772 Words | 4 Pages

However, both Nathan and Perry were profoundly impacted by the trauma they experienced and were heavily affected in their adult life by their previous

Read More
1123 Words | 5 Pages

Everything changed when she meet Nathan Price, a young preacher who soon would be the cause of her downfall. What Orleanna thought was love wasn’t because Nathan’s purpose for courting was to save her soul. In the novel Nathan became the antagonist of the story because he turned into the poison turing the Bible into his instrument of death. Nathan’s culture was to preach the word of God so upon meeting Orleanna he felt the desire to inbred in her the Bible by reading books from the Bible on everyday date they went. Thus causing Orleanna to follow his Aguilar 3 practices to please him because at first she rejected him.

Read More
142 Words | 1 Pages

People are told to focus on the bright side, but that mindset has to be developed. People should figure

Read More
555 Words | 3 Pages

Most of these offenders are now adults and have spent most of their life in the same place. These people could have went to college and become something, like a doctor, chef, and so much more, but instead they were left sitting in a cell. These children are in the midst of still growing and learning. They need to learn from their mistakes not just sit on them their whole life. The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth states that more than eighty percent of juveniles serving life have had a past that reflected their choices.

Read More
748 Words | 3 Pages

There are more than 2,000 child offenders serving life without parole sentences in United States prisons for crimes committed before the age of 18 and Lolita Barthel is one of them. The United States is one of only a few countries in the world that permits children who commit crimes to be sentenced to prison forever, without any possibility of release. Only eight states in this country Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Mexico, New York, and West Virginia and the District of Columbia prohibit life without parole for youthful offenders. Unfortunately, adolescents, like adults, commit horrible crimes and make terrible mistakes. And, like adults, they should be held accountable but in accordance with their age, stage of development, and greater capacity for rehabilitation.

Read More
1069 Words | 5 Pages

The unfaltering dissension about sentencing juveniles to life in prison without parole has yielded opposition in the criminal justice system and dysfunction towards the young lives facing unsettled, extreme punishment for their mitigating crimes. While this particular topic can branch to very detailed discussions in divergent aspects such as: socially, politically, scientifically, and morally, it should be eliminated to only two characteristics: is it fair and is it right? Although it seems painless and facile to act on impulse when punishing juvenile criminals severely, the consequences are ineffective and adverse to the needs of the victims, the development of adolescent offenders, and the primary function of the criminal justice system.

Read More
1357 Words | 6 Pages

Youthful, innocent, weak, and dead are four characteristics which seem so drastic in difference, but may not be known

Read More
386 Words | 2 Pages

There persists a heated and controversial debate nationwide as to whether, under any circumstances, a juvenile should be tried as an adult and sentenced to life in prison without parole. While recent efforts to ease the punishment have reduced the ultimate sentence for juveniles to forty years in some areas, the problem remains unaddressed at its root. Juveniles should not be sentenced as adults to life without parole because they lack in cognitive development, have rehabilitative capacity, and cost more annually to be held in prison than to be put through programs that address the root of the problem. First and most importantly, Juveniles should not be tried and sentenced as adults for life because the adolescent brain is in a period of cognitive

Read More
582 Words | 3 Pages

The article “Juveniles Don’t Deserve Life Sentences” argues that children in prison need to be given a chance to mature and be rehabilitated (Garinger 9). Because these killers likely committed these crimes on impulse, they would often realize after the fact that they were wrong to do such an action. Therefore, when they are released, they will be more careful and think about their actions before committing. If they are given a life sentence, they will never be given this chance to fix their life. Older people who commit murders are less likely to learn from their mistakes since they put more thought into the killing than adolescents

Read More
1315 Words | 6 Pages

The Supreme Court of the United States of America in 2012 ruled that juveniles couldn’t be tried as juveniles and be sentenced to life without the possibility of bail, no matter how harsh the nature of the crime committed. Justice Elena Kagan argues that juveniles who commit crimes typically have a rough upbringing or unfortunate circumstances which cannot be controlled by the juvenile. She argues that if they are serving a life in prison without a chance of parole, it causes damage to them psychologically due to the lack of experiences. They will miss the most important moments in life that define who they are as an individual.

Read More
636 Words | 3 Pages

Juveniles in prison face increased violence and sexual abuse, and are at much higher risks of committing suicide than juveniles in juvenile prisons. In addition, the number of released prisoners that turn back to crime is much higher for those that were juveniles in adult prisons. Juveniles will face the consequences of their actions in juvenile prisons, but will also be given a second chance to change their lives through rehabilitation. It is time to stop failing this nation’s juveniles and build a system that benefits not only these children, but society as a whole through the end of a vicious criminal

Read More
729 Words | 3 Pages

Juveniles Justice Juveniles who are criminals being sentenced to life without parole can be shocking to some people. I believe if a juvenile is able to commit a crime, then they are able to do the time. The article “Startling finds on Teenage Brains” talks about how the brain can be different from the time you are teens to the time you are an adult. After, considering both sides on juvenile justice it is clear that juveniles should face life without parole because they did the crime so they can do the time. Also I believe the juvenile’s age should not influence the sentence and the punishment give.

Read More

More about Documentary Analysis: When Kids Get Life

Open Document