Case Study: A Nurtured Criminal

I. Introduction The case I want to cover deals with a 6- year- old boy who is the gunman in a Michigan elementary school shooting in which another classmate was shot in the library. Later police found him hiding in a corner scared. When asked about the situation he told them he was just trying to scare her. Should this little boy be held responsible for committing this criminal act? This is the question I want to explore and reveal in this case study? In a pursuit to find the answer to this puzzling question, I want to analyze his family environment, and history, and how all these played a major part in his actions in the school shooting.

II. Analyzing the Background In the first step of this process I will analyze a few background pointers about the family and environment of the child. The case reported a scuffle between the 6- year -old boy and his classmate on the playground the previous day. This may have been an episode of instrumental aggression that is common amongst young children who react without thinking to get what they want (Berger. P.279). Through antipathy of this classmate he took this altercation further by bringing a gun to school the next day to strike fear in the classmate. This showed a since of antisocial behavior because of his direct aggression towards this student (Berger, p.279). The report goes on to reveal that this child lived with his mother, uncle, and younger sibling. When searching the home of the child police found other guns and drugs present. Also in the home the police arrested a 19- year -old male in the household that allegedly had possession of the stolen guns. Another key point is just recently the child’s father and grandfather was arrested and put in prison for gun- related charges. Looking at this information shows me that there is a history in the family of drug activity, theft, and gun usage. Because the grandfather participated in drug using and selling activities, he felt the need to possess guns for protection against surrounding threats in the neighborhood. This lifestyle was passed down to his two sons the 6 –year -old boy’s father and uncle who currently live in the home. Through this background information we can see that this environment is unsafe, and is some of the basic things needed for the nurturing of a criminal. III. Misguidance Development I can see many problems that contributed to the little boy’s actions in the school shooting, but the major problem is a lack of parental guidance. First, this home environment filled with violence and drug activity was a part of life for those around him. Because that is all the caregivers were taught it is what they pass down to the next generation. A home plagued with guns and drugs should have never been permitted by the boy’s caregivers to be allowed in the house. I look at this example set by his caregivers as a guided participation, because they were guiding his experiences and exploration for guns by their example around the home (Berger, p.241). Another reason for the child’s behavior may have been from neglectful/ uninvolved parenting because of the caregivers lack of awareness about what the boy was doing, having problems with at school, and his growing interested in guns (Berger, p.274). The involvement of parents is very important role in the development of a child’s social and cognitive abilities, failure in this area can lead a child down the wrong path unknowingly (Berger, p.274). IV. The Real Criminal The question to be answered from this case study is should a child under the