16 year old killed by gov
Within the last few weeks, the alleged Washington D.C.-area snipers were caught. All evidence points toward seventeen year old John Lee Malvo and forty one year old John Allen Muhammad. Considering Malvo is only seventeen, he can't be executed in any surrounding area except for Virginia where the minimum age for execution is sixteen. This interested me heavily considering the government cannot find a right answer, even after six are dead. I know I wouldn't make a decision as unwise as Malvo has made, yet, dying this young is unimaginable. By the time you are seventeen, you should be able to tell the difference between right and wrong. Adulthood does not just abruptly creep up on you on your eighteenth birthday, it is a process of growing. For me, I was eased into being an adult before the time I was seventeen. My mother took a traveling-nurse job to attain more money for our family hoping it would help fund my college tuition. My sister had already left for college and I was the only one who would be taking care of the house. At first when she left, I was somewhat overwhelmed; I couldn't do my laundry, couldn't
cook, was too lazy to wash dishes, and struggled with cleanliness. After about a week, my mother came back and got me caught up on my chores. Eventually my dependence on her was worn out and I could easily live by myself. However, I wasn't fit enough to make adult decisions. This was evident when I was caught throwing a party. It takes complete responsibility and independence before I consider adulthood to be true. College is considered reaching maturity (due to age), however, most are not on their own; their parents continue to finance them. So really, when is the actual age when you are a true adult? The Supreme Court in 1988 outlawed capital punishment for children 15 and younger. It ruled earlier this year that it is cruel and unusual punishment to execute the mentally retarded. Why are adults with the mind capacity of a juvenile treated differently than those who truly are minors? Also, if our society has adapted to the idea that turning sixteen is being an adult, worthy of being put to death, shouldn't all rights be given to you at that age? Clearly we don't live in a utopian society, yet, I wonder why
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Approximate Word count = 760
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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