Systematic Abuse of High Functioning lad by school peers.

[MyGreyMatter]

Autistic Md. boy says he wants to resume relationship with girls accused of abusing him - The Washington Post

My assessment, the boy still doesn't get it that these girls don't give a **** about him. The parents are right to pursue criminal charges above the objections of their son. One day, even during the trial, the lad will come to accept that he was never in a relationship with either of them. I hope when he learns this, he will move past the hatred.

I'm curious why the girls should be charged as an adult though, but the body of reported evidence paints a picture that they were consistently had influence over them and that they thoroughly knew it.

 

[Ereth]

The decision to charge a juvenile as an adult is generally influenced by the severity of the crime and the age of the juvenile. This is by no means an authoritative source of information, but it appeared accurate to me when I looked for details.

When Juveniles Are Tried in Adult Criminal Court | Nolo.com

The defendants had a knife to the young man's throat and later convinced him to go out onto a frozen pond, which cracked under his feet. When he fell into the water, neither girl tried to help him out. He could have died. They videotaped the entire thing. And on the ride home, he was in the trunk. They didn't want to get the interior of the car wet.

Only one of the girls is being charged as an adult, by the way---the seventeen-year-old. I can't comment on whether it's right to charge her as an adult, because that issue is extremely complex, but I think she probably had the presence of mind to know what she was doing was wrong. (This is just my opinion, mind you.)

That boy has a big heart. I think he will understand why the trial has to happen in time. I just hope he doesn't lose hold of his kindness.

 

[MyGreyMatter]

Thanks Ereth, that link you had was really helpful

 

[Tarragon]

Abusive relationships are nasty things indeed. Even when presented with evidence of the level of harm inflicted upon the victim, the victim often feels defensive towards their perpetrator. I think it's not unusual for this person to feel this way toward his abusors. He does need to be shown that these people acted extremely dangerously towards him and he could easily have been killed on that lake. That is why they need to be punished properly. It makes me unsettled beyond words, as I have been the victim of this sort of behaviour myself in the past, and it is one of the dangers of being so vulnerable having Aspergers. He is forgiving, but for his own safety he needs to be kept away from these people. He is lucky to have come out of the experience alive.

 

[Ereth]

Abusive relationships are nasty things indeed. Even when presented with evidence of the level of harm inflicted upon the victim, the victim often feels defensive towards their perpetrator. I think it's not unusual for this person to feel this way toward his abusers. He does need to be shown that these people acted extremely dangerously towards him and he could easily have been killed on that lake. That is why they need to be punished properly. It makes me unsettled beyond words, as I have been the victim of this sort of behaviour myself in the past, and it is one of the dangers of being so vulnerable having Asperger's. He is forgiving, but for his own safety he needs to be kept away from these people. He is lucky to have come out of the experience alive.

Absolutely. People without ASD experience this sort of attachment, too, but I imagine having autism makes a person quite vulnerable to feeling this way. I'm not sure what else the young ladies might have done to the victim in the long term (other than the eyebrow-shaving incident mentioned in the article), but even if they were friendly at some point, somewhere along the line they decided he would be a fun toy for their amusement. I'm glad his parents are pursuing adult charges for the older individual. I'm sure they will do everything they can to help their son understand that he was abused and prevent any future contact between him and his abusers.

 

[Spinning Compass]

Well, if any of them ends up spending time behind bars they will soon find out what it is like to be a fun toy for others' amusement.

 

[Ereth]

Well, if any of them ends up spending time behind bars they will soon find out what it is like to be a fun toy for others' amusement.

There's nothing at all humorous about prison assault. Nobody deserves that.

 

[Spinning Compass]

No, there isn't. But it is an unfortunate reality of prison life. And I am sorry, but I really cannot work up any sympathy or empathy for people who do cruel things to others as a joke--not only cruel, but life-threatening things. There is nothing at all humorous about that either.

Somehow the message is not getting through that everyone has worth and no one is put here on earth for other people's amusement. That it is ok, even funny, to put another person in physical danger just for laughs. And you expect me to shed tears because this person's tormentors might find out what it is like to be on the receiving end? Sorry. No.

 

[Ereth]

I'm not defending what the girls did or asking that you feel sorry for them. I just don't think wishing abuse on prison inmates solves anything.

 

[Tarragon]

When people in the prison find out what they did, they will do their own form of justice on them. That's just the way it works. It's a fact of prison life. That's why prison is a deterrent against crime...

(though personally, I think as a punishment they should be made to go through what they put their victim through. Ice cold river, plunge them in. It might bring them to their senses. If not, then let them rot in prison for years to contemplate it a while...)