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Getty / Witthaya Prasongsin
Image: Complex
A recent report from North Carolina, USA, is receiving national attention for highlighting a case that revolves around a six-year-old boy who was forced to appear in court for allegedly picking up a tulip from a yard in his bus stop.
The piece in question, written by Virginia Bridges for the Herald-Sun and published earlier this month, it begins with a description of the six-year-old boy with his legs “dangling” off the ground as he sat with his attorney, Julie Boyer, as he was tried in juvenile court on a charge of damages to real estate in connection with the aforementioned collected tulip.
As Boyer explained in the report, he gave the boy a coloring book and crayons and told him to “color in a picture” during the procedure.
The 6-year-old’s mother was unable to attend an intake meeting, according to the report, which, under regional law, meant that he himself ended up appearing before a judge. A judge dismissed the case when informed of the situation.
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Bridges’ damning report also notes that between 2015 and 2018, nearly 7,300 complaints were filed against children between the ages of 6 and 11. And of those complaints, 47 percent were against black children, even though only 22 percent of the state’s population is black, while 70 percent is white.
Fortunately, many social justice groups and other organizations, including the head of the National Juvenile Justice Network, are pushing hard to raise the age for juvenile proceedings (such as the one that forced a 6-year-old boy to appear before a judge). .
In January, the National Juvenile Justice Network called on all states to establish what they say is “a reasonable minimum age” when prosecuting children, specifically recommending that the age not be less than 14 years.
