Voices: Deserves more

March 27, 2008 09:01 pm

— I speak out today on the plight of Thomas White. I cannot believe that he has been in the Jasper County Jail for a year and a half with no schooling, no counselor to talk with about what he did, and no form of rehabilitation.
The Joplin R-8 School Board has strict attendance policies, so who is being held accountable for him not receiving an education? You are not allowed to drop out of school until age 16, so that would make him still required to be given an education. Yes, what he did was serious, but it’s as if those in the judicial system want to forget about him — just keep him locked up in his solitary cell for the rest of his life.
A 13-year-old does not have the same foresight as an 18-year-old. In our society, you are an adult at 18. He should be tried as a juvenile, because that’s what he was when he allegedly committed his crime. Thank goodness we are all not held liable as adults for the bad choices we made as teenagers. Being tried as an adult, he will always have what he did as a young teenager hanging over his head, never being able to move on from it. His crime will be with him wherever he goes.
Maybe I’m just too forgiving, but as a mother, I love my children and want the best for them no matter what they do, as I’m sure Thomas’ mother does. Thomas is still an American citizen with feelings, emotions and rights. He deserves an education, and he deserves the opportunity for rehabilitation, not to be locked up and forgotten.
Jennifer Dunn
Oronogo