Hi Robyn! I am good.
My brother was put into juvenile detention at age 13. For 5 years. He was trying to burn down neighbors homes. The worst part? His mother (my step-mother) became a born again christian of a sect that is convinced that armageddon is around the corner. I am sure this screwed up the poor kid, however, his parents divorce probably did not help. (she is just like a dub, except no field service; just fire and brimstone)
Other than that and dealing drugs, he might be a nice kid.
Seriously, I know we lock up children. I don't know why those children in Iraq were in prison. However, the likelyhood that it was for a slight infraction is high. It is much harder to lock up a kid in the US. My step-mother tried for two years to get my brother locked up. He was that bad. He started his arson spree when he was 11. She tried every therapy, anti-depressants, everything. Because he was so young, they wanted to see if he would "grow" out of it. He did not.
He is a bad person. He is hateful and a criminal. When my dad died last year, the kid was living with him, having just gotten out of detention. He was dealing drugs within a week. My dad said dealers were coming to collect their cut at all hours of the night. My dad died on a Monday; I got to his apartment on Wednedsay. My brother had ransacked the whole place, cleaned out his checking and savings accounts and started selling his belongings.
Locking kids up is a last resort. I saw it up close and personal. I have mixed feelings on trying them as adults. It depends on the crime. A well thought out murder is different than a kid playing with uncle's gun and it discharging accidentally.
