Look at whole picture when determining release status
The death of Derrick Robie, 4, shocked residents of Steuben County, New York in the summer of 1993. There is no doubt his death was horrific and violent; he was strangled and sodomized, which implies his attacker was filled with rage and hatred.
Eric M. Smith, now 24, was eventually charged and convicted with the crime that he committed at the age of 13. He was sentenced to the max sentence at the time for second-degree murder, which was a minimum of nine years to life in prison.
Smith is now up for parole — again.
We hope the parole board at Clinton Correctional will consider the totality of this young man’s life, and not just the crime, as they decide the fate of his parole status.
According to the Campaign for Youth Justice, studies have shown the brains of teenagers are still developing and that they function quite differently than those of adults. The brains of adolescents are still maturing and lack decision-making abilities, thought processing and the ability to understand the consequences of their actions. …show more content…
Their brains are under construction.
Teenagers are trying to handle society, peer pressure, impulsiveness and maybe even a lack of direction; and in the case of Smith, he endured most of these things including bullying and other mental issues. This is why we don’t let 13-year-olds drive cars, join the military, get married, and register to carry a concealed handgun or even purchase
The death of Derrick Robie, 4, shocked residents of Steuben County, New York in the summer of 1993. There is no doubt his death was horrific and violent; he was strangled and sodomized, which implies his attacker was filled with rage and hatred.
Eric M. Smith, now 24, was eventually charged and convicted with the crime that he committed at the age of 13. He was sentenced to the max sentence at the time for second-degree murder, which was a minimum of nine years to life in prison.
Smith is now up for parole — again.
We hope the parole board at Clinton Correctional will consider the totality of this young man’s life, and not just the crime, as they decide the fate of his parole status.
According to the Campaign for Youth Justice, studies have shown the brains of teenagers are still developing and that they function quite differently than those of adults. The brains of adolescents are still maturing and lack decision-making abilities, thought processing and the ability to understand the consequences of their actions. …show more content…
Their brains are under construction.
Teenagers are trying to handle society, peer pressure, impulsiveness and maybe even a lack of direction; and in the case of Smith, he endured most of these things including bullying and other mental issues. This is why we don’t let 13-year-olds drive cars, join the military, get married, and register to carry a concealed handgun or even purchase