Opinion ID: 1127469
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Serious Problems as a Juvenile

Text: Roger was arrested for shoplifting at the age of 9. At 13, he was permanently expelled from junior high for bringing a gun to school and was placed on supervised probation in a detention home for juvenile delinquents. In his statement, he wrote that he told his friends at school that he could use the gun to blow Mr. [illegible]'s brains out if I wanted to. While serving in the detention home, an official reported: Roger is very destructive โ he constantly talks about killing people esp. policemen. Roger has serious emotional problems โ when he isn't crying he is cursing or destroying things around the house. He needs help that we cannot give him here. He is a time bomb waiting to go off. A psychologist who subsequently conducted an evaluation of Roger for legal authorities stated: My fear is that Roger will have no care for society. I believe that Roger and society are going to be at odds until some drastic steps are taken. It appears that it would be to Roger's benefit for those steps to occur as soon as possible if we are going to have a chance of changing his behavior. After vandalizing a cemetery at age 14, he was committed to the Alabama Department of Youth Services for Criminal Mischief. During this commitment a counselor reported that Roger was receiving behavioral counseling, but at present [he] just simply does not appear interested in rectifying his misdeeds. Roger also received drug and alcohol counseling. At 17, he pled guilty to the unauthorized use of a vehicle, and he was placed on probation. A few months later, he was again charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle. Also at 17, Roger was arrested for two separate incidents involving armed robbery and third degree burglary and theft. He admitted the theft and robbery. The robbery charge was dismissed. Roger was convicted as an adult for burglary and sentenced to boot camp, which he failed. He was then sentenced to prison for four years and was released in 1990. A sociologist testified that authorities became familiar with Roger's problems as a youth, including tendencies towards aggression, but did nothing about it. On cross-examination, the sociologist acknowledged that Roger received counseling from the Franklin County Juvenile Court. He also testified that Roger knew killing people was wrong. As is unfortunately true in so many murder cases, defendant's troubles with the law began early. His experiences, while demonstrating that his problems started early and were exacerbated by neglect, familial and official, also amply demonstrate his dangerousness. He has failed to show, however, that his juvenile experiences significantly impaired his capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the law.