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Kids Who Kill:
Criminal Justice Seminar
One of the most thought-provoking semesters I have experienced thus far in my college career was the spring of 2017. I enrolled in the course "Kids Who Kill" with weary feelings. Quickly into the semester, I realized that this was not a subject to be afraid of, but rather the curriculum covered a topic that is of the utmost importance to our community.
The course primarily focused on research exploring why children and adults feel the need to commit vicious acts, such as murder. We read and analyzed several psychologists, criminal justice experts, and other scholar's opinions and studies in order to understand the mentality behind a criminal's behavior. Specifically for juveniles, we attempted to answer the unanswerable: What is the proper punishment for a child murderer? Are we seeking justice or revenge? Does these children deserve a chance to be rehabilitated, or are they criminals forever? and most importantly, Are the rights stripped from a criminal, even if the person is not yet an adult?
The most interesting class days involved a guest speaker. Guest speakers included a former criminal and a defense attorney. They provided another angle to the material we were studying and showed us the personal effects to the criminal process.
My personal favorite part of the class was the opportunity to visit the juvenile detention center in Cincinnati. We were given a tour and were able to to see the process a juvenile would go through when they are brought to the facility. It was interesting to see that the juveniles staying there do receive quality care and are given all the rights a regular child would, such as healthcare, education, and a clean and nice living area.
Below you can find one of the weekly reflection papers I wrote during the semester. This specific response reflects on whether an individual has free will and if one is able to control their actions when they commit crimes.
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