The Abuse Killed Phoebe Prince
Phoebe Prince is back in the news, and this time we have an investigative reporter, Emily Bazelon, trying to find out more about what occurred with Phoebe. The investigation brought up Phoebe's past struggles with depression, cutting and other problems. Now, the strategy of the defense could be that Phoebe was already troubled, which led to the bullycide that occurred back in January of this year.
Ms. Bazelon stated in a response to District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel, “I didn’t say that Phoebe’s internal struggles alone caused her death. I do think the six kids charged should be held accountable for their behavior—but through school discipline, not through the criminal justice system. And in fact, they’ve been held accountable and then some."
I am reading these articles, and there is one glaring issue that has yet to come to light or even been considered. Why are these six defendants not getting the help they really need?
Bazelon says the school should handle the punishment. What are they going to do - give these kids detention or expulsion? That is not going to help them or solve these problems. Throw them in jail? If jail is going to get them the help they need, then it may not be a bad thing.
These kids need a good dose of empathy training and behavior modification. For them to go this far in their behavior indicates they are just as troubled as Phoebe was. Yet, we are looking at Phoebe’s troubles and not at theirs. Also, why hasn’t anyone involved in this case even consulted a bullying expert?
As an expert, I can tell you that it was this abuse that sent Phoebe over the edge. Yes, she was troubled, but after the abuse she grew worse. Before she died, she sent a text to someone stating she could not deal with this any longer, so she hung herself and died. Why didn’t she resort to hanging herself two months before? This abuse can trigger suicide; trust me.
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