A convicted sex offender in Wisconsin seemed to believe he was off the hook when police learned that he allegedly committed a sexual assault at the age of 9. Full Article
So much for protecting children, its all about the votes and false sense of security.
Chris F
Guest
May 21, 2018 9:26 am
“Gruenke added that because the crime wasn’t revealed until Sanders was 19, the courts were still able to try him in adult court.”
Well, not only does that not make sense, it’s an immediate violation of Equal Protection. Another 9 year old could have done the exact same thing, and just because charges are filed at different times does not constitute a difference in how those two should be adjudicated. That type of treatment means DA’s could hold off on charging someone on purpose, until they are old enough to be tried as an adult.
What a backwards state.
Cassandra
Guest
May 21, 2018 12:51 pm
I live here in Wisconsin. The appellate judge in this case said charging an adult for crimes committed as a child is akin to “beating a puppy for an accident it had two months ago. ” I really think this case should be appealed to SCOTUS .
Tired of this
Guest
May 21, 2018 5:14 pm
Where do I even begin? First of all, it’s well known and understood that kids often experiment as a natural part of development (my psychologist told me as much back when I was in treatment). 9 years old, he most likely had no idea what he was even doing. I know when I was that age, I didn’t really even understand what sex was. It’s hard for me to believe that such behavior is even criminalized.
I genuinely can’t wrap my head around how we, as a society, can hold a child to adult standards of culpability and responsibility on one hand, but automatically treat the same child as a victim on the other hand if he or she is on the receiving end of the offense. The practice of charging kids as adults has always bothered me greatly. Do children possess adult-level cognition, reasoning, and maturity to think things through and make decisions, or do they not? I think we all know the answer. This is why they can’t give consent, sign contracts, or make numerous other potentially life-altering decisions. Does anyone really think a 9-year-old thought through his alleged actions the same way a 19-year-old would have? It makes my head hurt.
I also don’t understand how statutes of limitations can be tossed out the window in the case of offenses deemed sexual in nature. I thought the whole purpose of statutes of limitation was due to memories of the event becoming hazy and unreliable over time and physical evidence no longer exists to prove what happened one way or the other. A decade after the fact, it would be a case of he-said, she-said, wouldn’t it? How would the guy be able to even defend himself? How the hell does someone get a fair trial in a situation like that?
Anon
Guest
May 21, 2018 7:03 pm
Allegedly committed sexual assault at age nine. What is sexual assault when your nine years old?
Agamemnon
Guest
May 21, 2018 9:09 pm
And what if the defendant had been a VICTIM at age 9? How would they be portrayed by the prosecutor? I know how. As a sweet, rambunctious child whose naivete was exploited by a unrepentant monster.
But now that he committed a crime at 9? Prosecutors will be telling a jury that he was a competent’ rational adult fully aware of how wrong is actions were and unrepentant of the consequences.
You shouldn’t have it both ways, but unrepentant prosecutors have been exploiting such legal loopholes for decades. Absolutely unconscionable.
G4Change
Guest
May 21, 2018 9:09 pm
The only thing missing in this country is Hitler. This country has lost its way. God help us!
So much for protecting children, its all about the votes and false sense of security.
“Gruenke added that because the crime wasn’t revealed until Sanders was 19, the courts were still able to try him in adult court.”
Well, not only does that not make sense, it’s an immediate violation of Equal Protection. Another 9 year old could have done the exact same thing, and just because charges are filed at different times does not constitute a difference in how those two should be adjudicated. That type of treatment means DA’s could hold off on charging someone on purpose, until they are old enough to be tried as an adult.
What a backwards state.
I live here in Wisconsin. The appellate judge in this case said charging an adult for crimes committed as a child is akin to “beating a puppy for an accident it had two months ago. ” I really think this case should be appealed to SCOTUS .
Where do I even begin? First of all, it’s well known and understood that kids often experiment as a natural part of development (my psychologist told me as much back when I was in treatment). 9 years old, he most likely had no idea what he was even doing. I know when I was that age, I didn’t really even understand what sex was. It’s hard for me to believe that such behavior is even criminalized.
I genuinely can’t wrap my head around how we, as a society, can hold a child to adult standards of culpability and responsibility on one hand, but automatically treat the same child as a victim on the other hand if he or she is on the receiving end of the offense. The practice of charging kids as adults has always bothered me greatly. Do children possess adult-level cognition, reasoning, and maturity to think things through and make decisions, or do they not? I think we all know the answer. This is why they can’t give consent, sign contracts, or make numerous other potentially life-altering decisions. Does anyone really think a 9-year-old thought through his alleged actions the same way a 19-year-old would have? It makes my head hurt.
I also don’t understand how statutes of limitations can be tossed out the window in the case of offenses deemed sexual in nature. I thought the whole purpose of statutes of limitation was due to memories of the event becoming hazy and unreliable over time and physical evidence no longer exists to prove what happened one way or the other. A decade after the fact, it would be a case of he-said, she-said, wouldn’t it? How would the guy be able to even defend himself? How the hell does someone get a fair trial in a situation like that?
Allegedly committed sexual assault at age nine. What is sexual assault when your nine years old?
And what if the defendant had been a VICTIM at age 9? How would they be portrayed by the prosecutor? I know how. As a sweet, rambunctious child whose naivete was exploited by a unrepentant monster.
But now that he committed a crime at 9? Prosecutors will be telling a jury that he was a competent’ rational adult fully aware of how wrong is actions were and unrepentant of the consequences.
You shouldn’t have it both ways, but unrepentant prosecutors have been exploiting such legal loopholes for decades. Absolutely unconscionable.
The only thing missing in this country is Hitler. This country has lost its way. God help us!