Teen with 47 IQ gets 100 years in sex abuse case

[Bugman]

I don't know what to say..

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31213058/

 

[Eyeshine]

Wow. Thats awful. Thats really awful . I dont know what else to say.

 

[BrightEyes1082]

Very disturbing. Surely there's something else that could
be done.

 

[MrMacphisto]

I know I'm gonna get flamed for this, but if I knew ahead of time that my wife was going to give birth to a kid with 47 in IQ... I'd strongly encourage an abortion.

It's not surprising that an issue like this would arise involving someone in this situation. What is surprising though... is that they tried someone as an adult who clearly is less than a child in mental ability.

Good going Justice System....

 

[tickmankyle1]

Very disturbing. Surely there's something else that could
be done.

brighteye's said it very disturbing

 

[Mitchell]

The judge in the case should be reprimanded and debenched. This is a case where the "law", and the "statutes" should be exempt. A guy with an IQ of 47 couldnt possibly understand the seriousness of what he was doing. He should have gotten confinement to a hospital, at most, for a while, but this, unreal.

Hopefully, the sentence will be overturned.

Mitch

 

[Bugman]

It's not surprising that an issue like this would arise involving someone in this situation. What is surprising though... is that they tried someone as an adult who clearly is less than a child in mental ability.

Good going Justice System....

It happens a lot here Mac. As much as i love Texas, we have a long way to go in that regard.

 

[manic971]

hopefully he wins his appeal. Someone with those kind of mental deficiencies should not be punished for their actions by jail time. Some time in a hospital or mandatory counseling would make sense, but not lifetime imprisonment.

And fuck Texas.

 

[Artoo]

The US justice system strikes again!

 

[rhiannon]

I do think he should be locked up, but probably more in a hospital and not in jail. I don't know how much can be done for him about going after his urges, if that could be changed.

 

[burning-thunder]

Regular laws should apply only to ''regular'' people. Although 18 years old, this guy clearly has the mental age of someone much younger. It was terrible what happened to the child, but the sentence seems harsh enough to be considered its own crime.

 

[badreligion]

Wow . While the kid should be punished jailtime isn't the answer he needs help .

 

[drewskee]

That's all bad.

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

Great! Those who really ARE competent put on a good show and get time in a hospital. Then, those for whom the lack of competency isn't even in question get this kind of sentence! Our "justice" system sucks! Yes, this was a serious offense. Yes, he needs to be confined. But, not in a prison.

I wonder how much of this is because there is still funding for prisons and that for mental facilities has largely been cut out of budgets.

 

[TonyInMyThroat]

Maybe the judge had just finished watching this before sentencing?

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[Angel77]

This is just bad. Bad, bad, bad.

 

[Fluffie]

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That's Texas for you.

 

[Adam]

hopefully he wins his appeal. Someone with those kind of mental deficiencies should not be punished for their actions by jail time. Some time in a hospital or mandatory counseling would make sense, but not lifetime imprisonment.

My thoughts exactly. A sentence like that is ludicrous.

 

[Mitchell]

There was a section in my school with mentally challenged kids, and I can say from dealing with them first hand, that many of them aren't responsible for their actions, even when it comes to physical violence that doesn't have to do with rape.

When I was in.. Junior High, I believe, there was this very strong kid with Down Syndrome, who used to start fights with people, by coming up to them and whaling on them, for no reason. On at least two occasions, I was at my locker, minding my own business, and the kid got away from his class, walked up to me, and began pounding on my back, until I was black and blue. I reported him to his teacher, and the principal, to try and get him to stop, all to no avail. One day, the kid and his class had filed into line to go to lunch. He saw me, and tried to hit me, but I blocked his fist with my hand, and whacked him hard, in the stomach. I said to him very loudly "Andy, you have to stop hitting people, it hurts, every time you hit me from now on, I'm going to hit you back!". I dont know if what I said to him went through, but, from that day on, he never hit me again, and he looked a little scared of me when he saw me. I didnt like to have to hit back a mentally challenged kid, but nor did I want to put up with his hammering on my back every day for no reason.

I tell this story because I think the only way the mentally challenged teen would have understood that what he was doing was wrong, would be if someone had physically done the same thing to him, over and over, and said "This is wrong". Mentally challenged people have different levels of understanding, but sometimes, as I had to do with Andy, they had to be shown that "This hurts" in order to get them to stop doing so.

I hope my post isnt off topic. I just wanted to explain my experience with physical violence from a mentally challenged person, to try and put into perspective that many times, they might not well understand what they are doing.

Mitch

 

[BigNorm]

goddamn... but that's Texas for ya.

"You don't mess with Texas." -Dubya


sure it's unfair in every regards of the terms, but Texas is just that way when it comes to crime and punishment.

 

[The Fallen Angel]

ill probally get flammed for this but...

He did the crime, so in turn he does the time. While i agree that he may have not understood what he did i do think that those with mental disablities do understand the basic right and wrong especially by the age of 18.

Might not be the popular descion but jail is where he belongs, who knows what other crime/crimes he could or would commit because he didnt "understand"

 

[locker669]

Imagine instead of reading the story you lived it. A person with a 47 IQ sexually assaulted your child. Would you want him free because he doesn't understand his actions?

 

[The Fallen Angel]

So to Trez, I disagree. He did do the crime, he is doing time- but WAY too much for someone in his position. That sort of penalty is in place for someone consciously doing something they know is wrong. To basically send someone to a place where they will be beaten, sexually assaulted, and basically tortured physically and mentally for the rest of their natural lives for committing an act they had no real clue of the severity of... it criminal in and of itself. At least the first time around. If it happened again then yea, there isn't a thing you can do for him.

thats kind of my point though there is a good chance it would happen again because he doesnt understand what he did, so why wait for it to happen again and then punish him to the full extent instead of just avoiding that all together and dealing with it now?

Those things you mentioned hardly happen in prison/jail in real life.. Those acts are saved for child abusers and people who kill/beat up on women. Believe it or not prisoners have their own "code of ethics" and they will not carry out those acts aganist a mentally disabled person. My father is a chief in one of the most well known prisons in america (statesville prison in Joliet Illinois) so ive heard a ton of stories as to what goes on. More than likely due to his situation he will be kept away from the general public of the prison anyway.

 

[Black Hat]

Personally I'm only concerned with the welfare of the child.

I'd like to know how damaged this child was and if there is any hope of recovery...