Answer

Baldizon Dayanna-”Southwood Middle School Murder”

            The exposure of children to instances of violence are considered as factors which can influence their emotional and social development even as youths. Camilo, Arturo and Andres (2018) state that violence can indirectly affect a child through secondhand exposure. However, the effects of the exposure are not easily quantified. Despite this, it remains a fact that the child’s emotional functioning is drastically affected after being indirectly exposed to homicide cases (Camilo, Arturo & Andres, 2018). ”Southwood Middle School Murder” is one of the cases which illustrates the impact of the indirect exposure to homicide on children. This paper explores the ”Southwood Middle School Murder” case study to document legal facts about the incident, including factors such as if justice was served.

Case Analysis

            On February 3^rd 2004, Jaime Rodrigo Gough was killed by Michael Hernandez, a 14-year-old boy who was obsessed with serial killing movies and horror films. Hernandez was water jailed for life for his criminal act and was later brought back to court for resentencing in late 2015 after spending more than a decade in jail. During his new sentencing, the prosecutors undertook the mandate to portray the 26-year-old convict as the same person with  a twisted mind categorized as one of the notorious murderers available in South Florida (Ovalle, 2016).

            The Palmetto Bay middle school responded effectively to the incident by scheduling a “Code Red” alert after Gough’s murder. With the “Code Red”, the students were required to remain under a lockdown as an emergency process to prevent the other learners from any eminent danger likely to be experienced in relation to the murder. Additionally, it is also a fact that offices within the school were evacuated with  the workers corralling into the educator’s lounge. The student aides were later placed in the photocopy room and further shielded from any occurrences being experienced within the institution at the time. Lockdowns are effective for enhancing the security of people in that it restricts movement and the potential that the learners will risk their lives trying to act in a heroic manner apprehending the crime perpetrator. Therefore, it can be stated that issuing a lockdown was an effective way for the school to control the security situation and prevent other students from any associated risks with the murder crime.

            The fact that Hernandez was still in the school environment provides an indication of the fact that security was an issue at the school. Notably, one of the learners or the staff members could have walked on Hernandez committing the murder crime, try to stop him, hence trigger him to cause acts that are even more violent.

            Several red flags were evident in association to the murder incident recorded in the school. For instance, instances of violence were recorded by the institution despite its positive reputation. The school had recorded 24 cases of violence in the year 2003, whereby 3 were considered as serious (Marrero, 2004). Two of the three serious cases involved fights between two learners while the other one included a situation whereby a student had a pocketknife. The fact that the institution has had recent cases of violence which even drew media attention is also a red flag which suggested that the school had to take requisite measures to prevent delinquent behaviors among the learners (Marrero, 2004). These actions are considered as red flags because they already suggested that some of the learners exhibited violent behaviors and necessary action had to be undertaken to prevent the case from escalating.

            Victim precipitation theory provides an indication that the victim can initiate actions which lead to their loss or harm (Lindsay, 2020). In the case study, it is evident that the victim did not precipitate the murder crime. Notably, there is no instance suggesting that the victim triggered Hernandez to perpetrate the murder act.

            Different changes in security should be considered to prevent to occurrence of a similar situation in school. For instance, installing CCTV  camera in distinct locations within the school premises is an example of a security adjustment to be considered. This feature is an effective consideration which has a potential of heightening security in that it makes it easier to monitor student behavior and identify any instances of aggression before it escalates. As a result, the school administration can easily respond to prevent instances of delinquent behaviors and offer guidance to the learners before the cases of aggression can turn to those of murder. Another security consideration is to have metal detectors in school. This will be effective in discouraging the learners from carrying firearms, knives, or other weapons within the school premise which are directly associated with serious criminal offenses (Young, Greer & Church, 2017).

            Violent crimes is a common occurrence in schools on a national level in the US. According to the statistics presented by National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the school-associated violent deaths recorded between 2016 and 2017 in the US was estimated at a total of 42. This value was inclusive of 13 suicide cases, 28 homicides and a single legal intervention death (NCES, 2020). Additionally, it is evident that during the year 2017 to 2018, 80% of the public schools in the US recorded one or more instances of theft, violence or other criminal acts (NCES, 2020).

            The most appropriate punishment for Hernandez who committed the murder crime includes being convicted for life in prison. This is based on the fact that the offender was in his sound mind and was ready to carry out the crime without showing any remorse. The fact that he stabbed the victim more than 40 times shows that he was focused on killing and hence proved to be a danger even to the other people he interacts with (Marrero, 2004). Evidently, there are instances whereby a child can be tried in an adult court, especially if he commits a serious crime. Therefore, it is evident that justice was served in the case of Gough’s murder after Hernandez was convicted for life.

            Conclusively, Southwood Middle School Murder case presents an illustration of the fact that the level of serious crimes in the learning institutions are increasingly on the rise. Cases of homicides alongside other crimes are experienced by learners as a result of the poor security systems which make it easy for the offenders to perpetrate the crimes. Changes such as having metal detectors in schools and CCTV cameras can be effective in controlling similar occurrences in the learning setting, thus upholding security. Sentencing Hernandez for life in prison is regarded as the most suitable punishment for his crime. The fact that he murder the victim by stabbing him more than 40 times shows his intent to kill and the risk that he poses to the other people he interacts with daily.

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