Australia's Bushfires

[Grayfox]

With the bushfires we have.
There have been reports of kids starting some one them which i find bloody annoying because as usual the kids will be let off scott free because the justice system says they are kids and dont know any better which is a lie.

Anyone that grows up in Australia know it is a bushfire prone country.
They would know or have been told about black saturday.
Most bushfire firefighters would go around schools teaching kids about the dangers of it

So my question is
Should kids be tried as adults when it comes to starting a bushfire?

After all the bushfire's they start cause millions of dollars in damages which insurers may not payout, plus the content in the homes that are destroyed which cant be replaced.

 

[velly]

I heard of kids start fires as their dads get call out fee's as they as part time firemen (this was when I lived in the UK)

in answer of your question, yes. Think back to black saturday and ash wednesday! Didnt they charge a guy for a few fires on black saturday?

 

[Nicksfix]

So my question is
Should kids be tried as adults when it comes to starting a bushfire?

And at what age are you drawing the line for a child to be tried as an adult ?
Once they hit their teens ?
16 and above ?

How about an 11 or 12 year old kid that performs such an act ? You prosecute his ass to the fullest extent that one can be tried for in such a situation ?

Does this come into play :
"old enough to do the crime - old enough to do the time" .... hmmm, maybe, not real sure.

On topic, sad stuff to hear about the bushfires, really. Yes, a child should be punished (somehow - someway) for starting a bushfire and causing millions of dollars in damage. But here we are again ... to what degree do they get punished ?

 

[LeMansAid]

Bushfires are a really tough one, as so much can come of potentially so little. If a person stabs someone, the result is very much directly linked to the action. Worst case scenario: one person dies. Best case scenario: someone has a stab wound. Not that wide a differential. Simple poor judgement of the use of a power tool can potentially kill many people where bushfires are concerned. Worst case: many dead. Best case: a bit of a fright. Quite a wide differential.

I can't see how it could have a blanket rule applied. Even with all of the details in a specific case, I imagine it'd be very difficult.

 

[Slash]

No I don't think they should, but I don't think they should get a slap on the wrist either.

I know if I was a young boy and did such a thing, I knew my parents would be mad but I wouldn't understand a damn thing should it come to a full out trial or why I was being taken away from my parents. I don't think a kid would quite understand the full extent of what they've done (burning down entire homes etc). To a kid, explaining it would be pointless as it will likely go in one ear and out the other.

As a kid, we are told not to play with fire, and if it got seriously out of hand, we would know why we shouldn't play with fire. It shouldn't have to come to that. I don't want to blame it on parenting as your eyes should always be on your child, but I know some situations just don't allow that.

That said, something would need to be done to make sure the kid really, truly knows that they did something seriously wrong. How or with what, I'm not too sure on though.

 

[CinnamonOD]

When you tell people to not do something in special, they're suddenly willing to do it, they'll end up doing it and blame others for their mistakes, still a no.

I remember something similar that was happening here, but instead of starting bush fires, it was about drug dealers and murderers...

I think it's about the place you live

 

[Grayfox]

Aged 11
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/10/21/12/30/boy-questioned-over-port-stephens-bushfire
Aged 12 and 13
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/10/20/09/18/girls-charged-with-lighting-sydney-fire
Aged 14
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/10/21/12/10/boy-charged-with-lighting-nsw-fire

These were yesterday and today.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

Yes.

 

[ranhammerR34]

I voted Yes. I do have a punishment for a kid under the age of 18 in ANY COUNTRY for setting a fire; especially if it was on purpose! I think a few fire safety classes and maybe some photos (video even) of people being seriously injured (maybe dying even) in fires would be good enough to get the attention of the kid. I know that might seem lax and harsh, but throwing them in jail isn't a good answer at all until this... if someone does die in the fire, that's when it has to change to an adult style trial for a child.

 

[CinnamonOD]

Aged 11
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/10/21/12/30/boy-questioned-over-port-stephens-bushfire
Aged 12 and 13
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/10/20/09/18/girls-charged-with-lighting-sydney-fire
Aged 14
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/2013/10/21/12/10/boy-charged-with-lighting-nsw-fire

These were yesterday and today.

Yep, the same age I wanted to mean with my last post, in the case of my last post, I do agree with 10-14 year old kids being charged for drug dealing or murdering, because it is a serious problem here, as it is those big fires there in Australia, and they have to do something to stop it, so I think my opinion changed...

 

[Ridox2JZGTE]

Punish them by giving them fine or should I say they will owe to the government a sum of money which they will have to pay when they have a job. Something at least 100K should teach some a lesson and give examples to other kids. And no, parents can't pay for the kid, it will be deducted from the kid's future salary and tax or the kid's own verified income. The kid will have to pay in installments ( monthly/yearly ), fail to pay in time or not paying at all ( no job or simply refuse to pay ) will result in jail time, so choose wisely

 

[Grayfox]

I don't think 100K or anything they can earn if 50 lifetimes will cover the total cost of damage

Many animals get killed by the fires.
The possible loss of human life's
The volunteer firefighters take time off work and put their life's at risk to save others.
The damage done to property(not just houses but cars, and firetrucks and other rescue vehicles)
The cost of renting water bombing helicopters
The cost of premiums going up
The cost of payout by the insurer
The objects that cant be replaced like objects with sentimental value.

So far insurers are saying at least 100million dollars are estimated for payouts

 

[DK]

Kids do stupid stuff, and are less likely to think about the consequences of the aforementioned stupid stuff. Hell, I'm embarrassed by my first posts here (I joined when I was 14), what's to say I wouldn't be ashamed as a 19-year-old if I was caught vandalising something when I was 14?