Article Cherry Hill Teen 71 Discussion Sentencing
Review the article Cherry Hill Teen Gets Probation in Non-Fatal Stabbing, and answer the following questions:
- Do you feel that the sentence was appropriate?
- If you were the judge, what would you have done?
In response to your peers, agree or disagree with how they would have acted if they had been the judge. Be sure to explain why you agree or disagree.
This document provides standards on professional conduct. You are required to read pages 15–79 only. You will use this resource in this module’s discussion.
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/83569.pdf
Peer post one
I do agree with the judge in his sentencing of the youth who was sentenced for stabbing another youth. Initially when I read the headline and began reading the article I didn’t think my opinion would be to side with the judge. After reading the entire article, and a few other ones, it changed my opinion. Teenage boys have, and always will, argue over girls but to show up to ones house three on one with the intentions of harming another changed my mind. The defendant has a right to defend himself. Getting a knife to do so may have not been the answer but when three other teenagers his age show up at his house wanting to fight him I can see where he might not have been thinking rationally and wanted to defend himself.
If I were the judge in this case I think the only thing I would have done differently would be to give the defendant more community service hours. By stabbing somebody in the throat I believe his intentions were more then just trying to hurt him. He committed a pretty serious action and I believe by increasing his community service hours could help him find some purpose and influence him to make better choices in the future and be a productive member of society.
Peer post two
In this case I do believe that he was given a proper sentence. Because he was pursued by the victim outside of his own home one would think that he was just reacting in self defense but because he went back inside and got a knife, this shows that he had to intention of hurting the boy. Yes, he was up against 3 people compared to just him self, but he did not have to react this way. He admitted that he could have acted differently and I believe that because he recognized that he should have reacted to this situation gives him a better chance of changing his behavior. Having him waive his rights of self-defense was the proper thing to do because they would have never won this case as a self-defense case. He thought out about going back in side, and returned with a weapon and ultimately hurt someone because of it. He didn’t deserve to be ganged up on like this but he didn’t need to react in this manner. I think that he will benefit from the community service hours and but I do not believe that a psychological evaluation is needed.
If I were the judge in this case, I would look at all the factors. They were young boys fighting over a girl and it got out of hang. But the defendant was ganged up on by the other three boys and he reacted. He didn’t need to react this way but I do not believe that he should be under a psychological evaluation because this might create more issues for the boy. Because his mind is at an impressionable age, he may believe that their is something wrong with him for protecting him self when he was backed into a corner in his own home. I believe that community service and anger management may be a better option then the psych evaluation.