Girl who lit woman's hair ablaze learns sentence today:

[Praxius]

Girl who lit woman's hair ablaze learns sentence today

LA RONGE, Sask. - A 13-year-old La Ronge, Sask. girl convicted of aggravated assault for setting fire to a homeless woman's hair last spring learns today whether she'll serve her sentence at home or in a youth facility. "I don't believe this girl is inherently evil," Crown prosecutor Robert Lane told provincial court Judge Wilfred Tucker, noting her drug use raises the question whether that was a factor in her apparent inability to feel empathy for the unconscious woman whose hair she lit with a lighter. The diminutive teen, who attended court with her grandmother Thursday, was convicted in February following a trial in which Tucker concluded she caused burns to the victim's head and neck. The girl admitted she lit the woman's hair, blaming peer pressure from a group of mostly older youths. The girl set fire to the woman's hair twice - the second time after the flame went out. The group then ran off and left the victim calling for help. She was found just before dark and rushed to the local hospital, then flown to Saskatoon and later to Edmonton, where she spent several weeks in a burn unit. Despite the girl's lack of prior convictions Lane urged Tucker to impose the maximum sentence allowed by the Youth Criminal Justice Act for serious violent offences such as aggravated assault: 16 months in secure custody followed by eight months of supervision in the community. LaRonge is 330 kilometres north of Saskatoon.

What do you think? Should she get the maximum? I do..... but as I said before.... I'm for tough love.

Whether or not it was peer pressure or not from older kids.... she did it... she knew what would happen.... but I imagine since it was a homeless woman, they probably deemed her life as nothing compared to theirs..... it's sick and they need to learn a hard lesson.

If you find some excuse to let her off easy, then that just defeats the whole purpose of the youth justice system, nothing is learned, and more will do it, because as most kids these days do.... they understand the systems of law much more then what we did when we were kids, and they know this, so they play on it..... Don't forget that they're growing up in the Internet era now.... where any and all information they want to find is right in front of them..... if they want to do something and get away with it, they can find out how online.... much like you or I.... all they need to know how to do is type and read.

[Fangrim]

The youth justice system is a difficult thing to examine. You have to examine the differences, and as to why a youth should receive different justice procedures or sentences than an adult.

Seems like the girl here knew what she was doing was wrong, and did it anyway. She's mature enough to know that setting people on fire isn't good, even if she isn't mature enough to not actually do it.
Maximum sentence.

[Slevin57]

I think given her lack of a prior record she will not receive the maximum sentence.

I think 6 months house arrest or whatever the Canadian equivalent will do fine.

[Praxius]

Quote by: Slevin57 I think given her lack of a prior record she will not receive the maximum sentence. I think 6 months house arrest or whatever the Canadian equivalent will do fine.

I don't think 6 months would be justified to the homeless lady who suffered from the burning, and now will live the rest of her life as she is now.

What if she stabbed her or shot her? Should she get off easy because it's her first offense?

[CoffeeSaint]

Quote by: Praxius I don't think 6 months would be justified to the homeless lady who suffered from the burning, and now will live the rest of her life as she is now. What if she stabbed her or shot her? Should she get off easy because it's her first offense?

It would depend on her intent, and the harm that was done. If the girl stabbed her in the hand because she wanted to give the woman a stigmata so she could become the Messiah, then the girl should have a psychiatric evaluation. If she stabbed her in the heart so she could watch her die, then either the eval or a serious prison sentence.

Same thing with this: how much damage was done, and what was the girl's intent? If the intent is insane, then the girl should be remanded to psychiatric care. If the reason is juvenile (like "My friends told me to") then she should be put through the juvenile system and do the sorts of things we have our problem children do: go apologize to the woman and see the damage she did, speak at elementary schools about the dangers of peer pressure, etc. If the reason is adult -- I hate homeless people and I wanted to see her burn -- and the damage is serious enough, then send her to prison.

But shouldn't we let the courts decide all of that?

[Le GoogelGuRu]

I think, because of how much the woman would of suffered from the burns, that she should be sentenced as equivalent to an adult. Whether the cause was peer pressure or not, she still did it. Peer pressure, while intimidating especially for teenagers, doesn't mean you actually have to do it, and she still actually did it, so I say maximum sentence.

In my opinion children get away with too much these days... but it all really depends on the amount of damage done.

[ZNFYRH]

A lack of a record means she has either never done anything or has never been caught.

And she cited that she submitted to peer pressure.

I'd max out her sentence to teach her a lesson and to serve as an example.

[Le GoogelGuRu]

Quote by: ZNFYRH A lack of a record means she has either never done anything or has never been caught. And she cited that she submitted to peer pressure. I'd max out her sentence to teach her a lesson and to serve as an example.

Yeah, then other kids might actually think twice before giving into peer pressure as extreme as this.