Blog # 6

After looking at each of the previous cases i noticed how differently England and Norway treated the child killers. Thompson and Venables were taken into custody almost immediately after Jamie Bulgers body was found. The legal age for prosecution in Norway is fifteen years old, in Britain the age is ten years old. Although the death of five year old Silje Raedergard shocked and outraged the local people, the two boys that so cruelly ended her life did not have any punishment. However across the world children that kill still case disgrace and confusion. The reason why is simply because children are 'supposed' to be innocent. They are meant to have not yet been effected by the harshness and the evils of the world. One of the factors that i considered was that perhaps films played a certain part in the actions of these killings. Since film became more common, and children have easily been able to gain access to clips and films via the Internet violence seems to be more of an issue on the streets and in playgrounds. The BBFC (British Board of film classification) put ratings on films for a reason. However when some films are criticised for being able to have been realised, the reply from the film censors is simple; there are some cases of copycat killers that work in the style of a film, but there is no evidence what so ever that a film could make a normal mentally stable person with morals and a distinct sense of right and wrong act out a killing just been that's what they've seen in a film. What the classification board don't address is, what if the films, video games etc are viewed by young children? There is an awful lot of responsibility left on a parent shoulders with regards to access to violence. Another possibility is that these children could have been exposed to violence and abuse themselves and accepted this as normal and just. In effect carrying these actions out on the young have enormously back fired on them. It is known that Thompson and Venables were being bullied by a group of older children. Were they in fact carrying out with they had been subjected to. What ever creates a child killer doesn't make the prospect or idea any easier to understand. Any question that will be asked is in the cases of all these killers, now that they are free, will they kill again. Could such a cruel person that has performed such a vile act ever change. This is a question that can only be answered after a tragedy has happened. Do we feel safe, and should we feel safe, when the law lets murderers still at a relatively young age out into the world again. Another worry is that Thompson, Venables and their close families will be given new identities, with money that comes out of our tax that we give. They will be able to marry, their partner will be oblivious to their bloody secret, and maybe the most disturbing part of all; they will be able to have children, when they so cruelly took away the life of some one else. Children killers cause enormous debate and confusion, luckily because there are so few. All that is left to say is that each case has been individually treated, will we be subjected to a child who kills other children in the future, with violence getting featured more and more regularly in the media, prospects look grim, and the answer to that frightening question?... well I'll leave you to decide.