Sean grew up in a typical middle class family in South Carolina. He was raised to respect everyone and has a kind, gentle way about him. He was a good student and a wonderful, loving child. He had many friends of different colors, races, and religions. Sean’s parents believed he was well-rounded and on good footing for high school because he was a student in honors classes, an altar boy in his church, and a busy athlete. When Sean was a young child, he and his family were unaware of an adolescent condition called Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Sean had never been in trouble in school or at home until he turned 15, when he began to become defiant toward his parents. In response, Sean and his family began family counseling aimed at identifying the cause of his sudden change in behavior. However, as is typical with ODD patients, the true level of Sean’s dysfunction was not identified until after his 16th birthday, when a terrible incident occurred. During the week of his 16th birthday, Sean, along with several of his friends, committed what is defined by the state of South Carolina as an armed robbery.
After the robbery occurred but prior to his sentencing, Sean understood that something was terribly wrong within him. He begged for help. He and his family found a residential treatment facility that specialized in treating young boys with Sean’s symptoms. Sean was sent to live at Three Springs in North Carolina for almost a year; this is where he finished high school and underwent treatment for his serious adolescent problems. Through daily group and private sessions, they helped Sean see and understand what was wrong and taught him how to live with his disorder. To this day, Sean attributes this time and place with “saving his life.”
After he completed the program at Three Springs but before his trial, Sean returned home as a new boy who was excited to be home with his family. He understood how much he had missed when he used to disobey his parents and ignore his brothers. After his treatment, Sean had little interest in spending time outside of the home and cherished the time.
At age 17, Sean had finally found peace within himself, understanding his temporary disorder and knowing how to live well while maturing through it.
When it came time for Sean’s sentencing, he was subjected to South Carolina’s mandatory minimum sentencing guideline for adults and children of any age who commit “armed robbery.” This means that South Carolina judges have no input and cannot listen to extenuating circumstances. Although the weapon Sean and his friends used was a broken toy gun and, thankfully, no one was physically harmed, or even touched, in the incident, Sean was sentenced to 10 years in an adult prison.
It did not matter that Sean was barely 16 when he acted this way or that he had never been in trouble before in his life. It did not matter that no one was injured or that there was no intent to physically injure anyone. It did not matter that the victims were more upset about the sentence than about the crime itself. It did not matter that multiple psychiatrists had submitted reports stating that Sean had been successfully treated for ODD and posed no threat to society. It did not matter that Sean had a whole family ready, willing, and able to guide him through this difficult period in his life. It did not matter because South Carolina law does not permit any sentence less than 10 years for armed robbery, regardless of the circumstances leading up to or following the crime.
Sean’s family now spends their time attempting to save Sean from the abuses of the criminal justice system. Instead of providing help or at least doing no harm, South Carolina government has made every effort to destroy a young boy. On the day he was placed in the cage, Sean was the youngest person in a South Carolina prison. Instead of being able to surround Sean with love and affection at home, his family now spends weekends and holidays in prison visiting him. The whole family attempts to keep their spirits up with nightly phone calls to Sean’s prison cell. Each night, Sean wants to know what is going on in his family’s daily life. Although these discussions are sometimes boring for his parents and brothers, phone calls are the only thing Sean looks forward to each day. It may be hard for some to imagine how daily boredom can drive a child crazy, but Sean’s family understands that visits and phone calls are what help keep Sean sane.
Americans often ask, “Why is crime so prevalent? Why does the US have 10 times the number of citizens in prison than any other nation?” Must we really ask such questions? Stop child imprisonment! When we follow the lead of most other nations and outlaw child imprisonment, we will quickly see a reduction in crime. Prisons destroy the lives of children and cause crimes to occur rather than preventing them from happening. Troubled teens have promise, and we should embrace them during their time of need instead of kicking them when they are down.
Sean grew up in a typical middle class family in South Carolina. He was raised to respect everyone and has a kind, gentle way about him. He was a good student and a wonderful, loving child. He had many friends of different colors, races, and religions. Sean’s parents believed he was well-rounded and on good footing for high school because he was a student in honors classes, an altar boy in his church, and a busy athlete. When Sean was a young child, he and his family were unaware of an adolescent condition called Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Sean had never been in trouble in school or at home until he turned 15, when he began to become defiant toward his parents. In response, Sean and his family began family counseling aimed at identifying the cause of his sudden change in behavior. However, as is typical with ODD patients, the true level of Sean’s dysfunction was not identified until after his 16th birthday, when a terrible incident occurred. During the week of his 16th birthday, Sean, along with several of his friends, committed what is defined by the state of South Carolina as an armed robbery.
After the robbery occurred but prior to his sentencing, Sean understood that something was terribly wrong within him. He begged for help. He and his family found a residential treatment facility that specialized in treating young boys with Sean’s symptoms. Sean was sent to live at Three Springs in North Carolina for almost a year; this is where he finished high school and underwent treatment for his serious adolescent problems. Through daily group and private sessions, they helped Sean see and understand what was wrong and taught him how to live with his disorder. To this day, Sean attributes this time and place with “saving his life.”
After he completed the program at Three Springs but before his trial, Sean returned home as a new boy who was excited to be home with his family. He understood how much he had missed when he used to disobey his parents and ignore his brothers. After his treatment, Sean had little interest in spending time outside of the home and cherished the time.
At age 17, Sean had finally found peace within himself, understanding his temporary disorder and knowing how to live well while maturing through it.
When it came time for Sean’s sentencing, he was subjected to South Carolina’s mandatory minimum sentencing guideline for adults and children of any age who commit “armed robbery.” This means that South Carolina judges have no input and cannot listen to extenuating circumstances. Although the weapon Sean and his friends used was a broken toy gun and, thankfully, no one was physically harmed, or even touched, in the incident, Sean was sentenced to 10 years in an adult prison.
It did not matter that Sean was barely 16 when he acted this way or that he had never been in trouble before in his life. It did not matter that no one was injured or that there was no intent to physically injure anyone. It did not matter that the victims were more upset about the sentence than about the crime itself. It did not matter that multiple psychiatrists had submitted reports stating that Sean had been successfully treated for ODD and posed no threat to society. It did not matter that Sean had a whole family ready, willing, and able to guide him through this difficult period in his life. It did not matter because South Carolina law does not permit any sentence less than 10 years for armed robbery, regardless of the circumstances leading up to or following the crime.
Sean’s family now spends their time attempting to save Sean from the abuses of the criminal justice system. Instead of providing help or at least doing no harm, South Carolina government has made every effort to destroy a young boy. On the day he was placed in the cage, Sean was the youngest person in a South Carolina prison. Instead of being able to surround Sean with love and affection at home, his family now spends weekends and holidays in prison visiting him. The whole family attempts to keep their spirits up with nightly phone calls to Sean’s prison cell. Each night, Sean wants to know what is going on in his family’s daily life. Although these discussions are sometimes boring for his parents and brothers, phone calls are the only thing Sean looks forward to each day. It may be hard for some to imagine how daily boredom can drive a child crazy, but Sean’s family understands that visits and phone calls are what help keep Sean sane.
Americans often ask, “Why is crime so prevalent? Why does the US have 10 times the number of citizens in prison than any other nation?” Must we really ask such questions? Stop child imprisonment! When we follow the lead of most other nations and outlaw child imprisonment, we will quickly see a reduction in crime. Prisons destroy the lives of children and cause crimes to occur rather than preventing them from happening. Troubled teens have promise, and we should embrace them during their time of need instead of kicking them when they are down.