One of the biggest issues here is to what end do we need to punish our children when they make mistakes. Are their minds still open to change? Are they able to recognize that they made a mistake and make amends, or do they need to be punished long into their adult life for a mistake that was made while the law still considered them unable to make decisions for themselves? The law does not recognize a person as being able to make a major decision for themselves until they reach the age of majority, which in most states is 18, however, more and more minors are committing so-called adult crimes, like Tyson Baxter.

In light of recent events in the media, it is long past time to take a long hard look at the punishment phase for the criminal justice system. Sometimes the system can be overly harsh and abusive, while at others it can be far too lenient. Where is the medium found?

Who is right? Was it right that he received the sentence that he did? Or should it have been a harsher one like the parents wanted? Baxter was one of fifty-two youths in Pennsylvania who were found to be responsible for drunk-driving collisions that ended with fatalities. Would there have been such a high number if the punishments were more severe? Most likely, but where is the line drawn? Baxter was just a kid. How far should it go? Should the person be allowed to attempt to lead a normal life once all is said and done, or should they be made to pay for their mistake for their entire life? The four passengers in his Suburban will never get the chance to live their life, and their parents will never get the joy of watching them succeed in life, but does that mean that yet another life needs to be destroyed for others to receive what they perceive as justice?

Drinking has been proven to reduce person's inhibitions, and as such there are many laws attempting to prevent the access of alcohol to minors, however, all the persons involved made the deliberate effort to bypass these laws, successfully, and according to their blood alcohol content levels, were extremely intoxicated. One was over three times the legal limit, with the lowest level at 0.11 percent (with a state limit of 0.10 percent) and the drivers BAC level at 0.14 percent. Again, does this make any of the passengers responsible for what happened?

One last item to note on the collision itself is the report that the passengers were rocking and swaying the vehicle, which would make a top heavy, SUV like the Chevrolet Suburban hard to handle. Are they responsible at all for what happened?

The short answer is, you don't. There is absolutely no way that Baxter could ever make up for the wrongs that he committed that fateful night. How, then, should he be punished? He was a teenager when it happened, but at an age where a person is expected to act more mature and responsible in order to prepare them for when they come of age. So what is a fair and jus

Some common words found in the essay are:
Tyson Baxter, Robert Schweiss, Chevrolet Suburban, Drunken Ride, Christopher Avram, six foot, inches six foot, responsible happened, result people, manslaughter counts, inches six, drunken ride,
Approximate Word count = 1373
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)