[drugawareness] Christopher Pittman Petition

July 18, 2005

SSRI-Research@

Sun, 17 Jul 2005 22:47:27 -0000

[sSRI-Research] [drugawareness] Christopher Pittman Petition

Please sign and distribute widely....

The ICFDA encourages you to sign an online petition in support of

CHRISTOPHERS BILL - THE JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM ACT. (Go to

For more information about Chris, who committed a violent act at age

12 on Zoloft and is now serving a 30-year sentence, please visit our

site at http://www.drugawareness.org. This petition is in support of

a law which would prevent children from serving these mandatory

sentences.

The petition encourages South Carolina to pass into law CHRISTOPHER'S

BILL which would provide for the following:

1. NO CHILD UNDER THE AGE OF 14 MAY BE SUBJECTED TO MANDATORY

SENTENCING.

2. CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 14 WHEN CHARGED WITH A CRIME SHALL BE

SUBJECT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE OR RELEASE AT THE AGE OF 21.

3. CHILDREN WITHOUT A HISTORY OF PRIOR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR SHALL NOT

THE TRIED IN AN ADULT COURT.

4. REHABILITATION WITHIN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM MUST INCLUDE

COUNSELING AND EDUCATION.

5. CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 14 MUST HAVE AN ATTORNEY OR GUARDIAN

PRESENT BEFORE THEIR MIRANDA RIGHTS CAN BE READ.

6. CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 14 MUST NOT BE QUESTIONED BY LAW

ENFORCEMENT WITHOUT AN ATTORNEY OR GUARDIAN PRESENT.

7. ANY CHILD UNDER THE AGE OF 14 WHO COMMITS A CRIME WHILE UNDER THE

INFLUENCE OF A PRESCRIBED MIND-ALTERING DRUG MUST BE TRIED AS A

JUVENILE IN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM.

8. ANY MENTALLY ILL OR MENTALLY DISADVANTAGED CHILD UNDER THE AGE OF

14 WHO COMMITS A CRIME MUST BE TRIED AS A JUVENILE IN THE JUVENILE

JUSTICE SYSTEM.

9. THIS BILL IS RETROACTIVE FOR 10 YEARS FOR CASES INVOLVING CHILDREN

THAT WERE UNDER THE AGE OF 14 AT THE TIME OF THEIR ARREST AND LATER

TRIED AND SENTENCED AS ADULTS.

Thank you for lending your support to this important initiative.

Drug-Free School Zone? Just Say NO to Prozac for Children.

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