Horrific news abounds this morning. The kind that may make you feel like the world is going to hell in a handbasket! Really, I'm not sure what other conclusion to draw from this nightmarish gang-rape story out of Philadelphia. Police there have arrested five teenagers accused of raping a 12-year-old girl at a busy city recreation center.
The girl told police that she was approached Monday night by the boys, who started talking to her at the rec center, where line dancing and basketball was being held. Investigators say the teens then lured the girl to an upstairs stairwell and attacked her.
Not long after, a staff member saw several boys running from the area and went to the stairwell only to find the distraught girl. Sounds like we've got a witness right there to help make sure these boys, if found guilty, face severe consequences.
The suspects can't be identified, of course, because they're all 14 or 15 years old and considered juveniles. But police say four of the five have been charged with rape, simple assault, and other offenses, while the fifth -- arrested yesterday -- has not yet been charged.
Of course further investigation needs to take place before any sentencing can be decided, but if and when this "alleged" incident becomes a conclusive one, these teens cannot be punished as if they were little kids. Whether we as a society want to admit it, it seems like 14 or 15 can't be considered as young as it used to be. Upsettingly, this is definitely not the first story of its kind in recent years. So, I just can't imagine that these teens thought what they were doing was in any way less than completely sick and wrong.
If found guilty, these teens belong in a juvenile detention center for a good few years and must do major psychological work. The court that ends up judging this case needs to send a message that rape in any instance is an extremely serious offense with extremely serious consequences. And it simply will NOT be tolerated, even in these twisted cases where the heinous act is committed by kids.
What kind of punishment do you believe these boys should face if found guilty?
Image via Dockslandboy/Flickr
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Comments 21
They should be tried as adults, and sentenced as such. They should spend the rest of their lives on the sex offender list, and to hell with what it does to their life. They deserve it.
I'm so upset thinking about it. I feel the boys will need allot of therapy while they are doing time. This will follow them forever and it should, as the poor girl will be haunted by this for the rest of her life.
They should be given life in prison without parole upon conviction. If they can do something this bad once, they can do it again.
They wanna be big boys, put em in big boy prison... STOP CODDLING THEIR SORRY ASSES AND EVERY OTHER KID and we won"t have as many of these stories!
Definitely lots of juvie/prison time and a nice spot on the sex offender's registry. There's no excuse for these sort of crimes...
I think these boys should be held responsible but your comment Asim is very very disturbing. In your head it should be written "I need mental help. Please help me find a therapist."
I agree that if boys this age can be held responsible for child support they should have to face this as men. Its really hard to care what this will do to their lives when they made this choice, the 12 year old didn't. Her life will forever be changed and something was taken from her that she can never get back. She will have a tough road ahead of her on her journey from rape victim to rape survivor. She will be in my prayer's.