CASE STUDY INSTRUCTIONS
Read the story below, then find and apply developmental reasons that support the current law upheld. Do not just state your own personal opinions. Use your textbook as the primary resource and be sure to cover all the major areas/domains discussed in the required readings (chapters 8–10). You are not required to do research for this assignment.
In a small town in Michigan, the unbelievable happened. A 6 year old boy brought a gun to school and shot his first grade classmate in the school library. They had a playground scuffle the day before. After the shooting, he threw the gun down and ran out of the room. School authorities found him hiding in a corner and placed him in their office, where he calmly drew pictures as he waited. Police say that he told them the shooting was an accident and he had only been trying to scare her. In the following investigation, it was found that the shooter lived in a home where father and grandfather were in prison on gun-related charges. He lived with his mother, an uncle and a younger sibling. In searching the boy’s home, police found another stolen gun, a 12 gauge shot gun and drugs. You might be asking yourself, at what age are children held responsible for committing a criminal act. A law professor has pointed out that children under age 7 are not considered criminally responsible; those between 7 and 14 are presumed to lack responsibility and the state must prove otherwise; and those older than 14 are held accountable. A 19 year old male in the household who allegedly possessed the stolen gun was charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Again, according to our legal system, children under 7 are not held responsible for crimes. It is said that a 6 yr. old cannot form criminal intent.
What developmental factors from your textbook reading of chapters 8–10 support this legal decision?
Your paper should be 2 pages of text, have 1” margins, be double spaced, and use 12-pt Times New Roman font. APA format is required. Your paper should consist of a cover page, 2-page body of text (citing any information taken directly from the textbook), and a reference page. Do not use long quotes for this assignment; it is best to put ideas into your own words, but remember to cite those ideas.
Refer to the rubric provided for this assignment. Submit your assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of Module/Week 3. You will submit it twice: in a new thread on DB Forum 3 and through the Assignments submission link provided in Module/Week 3 Assignments.
