Punishments for Cyberbullies
By: Anna
Thesis Statement:
Bullying is clearly seen as a violation to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and as a result can escalate to life-threatening situations like suicide, which demands punishment by law.
Graph 1: State Cyberbullying Laws
Source #1:
In "A Human Rights Issue" by Benard James, Bullying has become a big problem and it is affecting kids' education.
"As a human rights mattter, this is unacceptable. Delaying or interfering with a response to bullying in criminal form is itself a criminal matter and should be seen as an abuse of discretion at best and, at worst, obstruction of justice and a violation of the victim's right to an education" (James). This quote supports my opinion that "cyberbullies should get sentenced to jail" because, it is interfering with childrens' right to an equal education without being distracted or harassed.
Graph 2: Types of Cyberbullying Experienced by 10-18 Years Olds
Source #2:
In "Protect kids--and Speech" by Michael Meyerson, a 15 year old old girl decided to commit sucicide after being miserable at school for months because of bullies.
As stated in Protect Kids and Speech, "The Supreme Court has repeatedy held that threats of violence, such as those banned by Grace's Law, are outside the protection of the First Amendment. So-called "true threats" in which a speaker communicates a serious expression of an intent to commit an act of violence against a particular individual, are simply not a part of the American marketplace of ideas. Intimidation, defined as directing a threat against others with the intent of placing them in fear of their life or safety, is viewed as abusive conduct and is also not shielded by the First Amendment" (Meyerson). This quote supports my opinion about cyberbullies should go to jail because, bullying can put peoples' lifes in danger and immoral acts threats, bomb threats, suicide, lynching, murders of all degrees are severe violations to the law. Cyberbullies should be punished with jail-time.
Graph 3: Lifetime Cyberbullying Victimization Rates- Seven Different Studies 2004-2010
Source #3:
In "Bullying Raises Questions about School's Vigilance" by Denise Lavoie, schools think that they should not report bullying because, they think that the government would be careless with the situation and won't do anything to stop it.
As stated in Bullying Raises Questions About School's Vigilance, “In defense of teachers, very few of them have ever had training on bullying prevention, much less how to intervene without making the situation worse," she said. "Some people don't understand the dramatic and devastating effect that this kind of treatment can have on a child"(Lavoie). This quote supports my opinion because, bullying has become a big issue everywhere and the government is not making enough effort to put a stop it.
Source #4:
In the "U.S. Bill of Rights", lawmakers state that there should be no injustice on people of different religions or beliefs.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press" (Bill of Rights).
Conclusion:
Cyberbullying is when someone is being mean to you on the internet like posting something cruel about a person on a message board to ruin one’s reputation like name-calling, threats, rude comments, and online hacking. Cyberbullying is when someone is being mean to you on the internet like posting something cruel about a person on a message board to ruin one’s reputation like name-calling, threats, rude comments, and online hacking. Cyberbullying has become a big problem everywhere. Schools, students and parents are debating whether the government should put a stop to the problem or not. But, cyberbullying is clearly seen a a violation to the First Amendment to the United States Consitution.
Works Cited:
James, Bernard. A Human Rights Issue. New York Times. New York Times, 30 Sept. 2010. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2010/09/30/cyberbullying-and-a-students-suicide/campus-bullying-as-a-human-rights-issue.
Meyerson, Michael. Protect Kids--and Speech. Baltimore Sun. Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2013. Web. 6 Nov. 2013.
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SIL1209-0-9865&artno=0000351216&type=ART
Lavoie, Denise. Bullying Raises Questions about School's Vigilance. Cape Cod Times. Cape Cod Times, 30 Mar. 2010. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=SIL1209-0-5737&artno=0000301882&type=ART
United States. Cong. United States Congress. The Bill of Rights. 1st Cong., 1st sess. Cong. Bill. Washington, DC: US Congress, 1789. Print. 8 Nov 2013.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
Treble, Judy.
Hinduja, Sameer, and Justin W. Patchin. Lifetime Cyberbullying Victimization Rates. Cyberbullying Research Center. Chart. Cyberbullying Research Center, 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. http://www.cyberbullying.us/research.php
Eagle, Jeremy. Types of Cyberbullying Experienced by 10-18 Year Olds. Chart.Facts On File News Services. Infobase Publishing, 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. http://www.2facts.com/PrintPage.aspx