Persuasive Essay
Model Essay
As a young adult, have you ever been blamed for the actions of others? Or did you ever get in trouble because someone stated that you, “made them” do something wrong? How did you feel? Did you feel like you were being punished unfairly? That you didn’t make the person do anything they didn’t want to do. If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then you would also agree that bullies are not criminals. That bullies shouldn’t go to jail and that bullies need to be punished for the crime they committed; not the action of others.
Bullies should be punished, but they need to be punished by their parents and school officials. In the case of Phoebe Prince the people who bullied her were punished by school officials and by the court of law. These bullies such as Sharon Velasquez, had their lives ruined as a result of Phoebe’s suicide. Sharon Velasquez was unable to attend high school any longer and is getting her GED. She and her mother have gotten death threats and harassed continuously. Also, schools have anti-bully rules and states have legislation to outline and prevent bullying. The federal government should not be allowed to take away the rights of parents to punish their children and the rights of school to deal with sensitive matters. If we take away the rights of parents what would be the next right stripped from them? Therefore, a school yard bully if they are labeled a criminal would be the next victim.
Additionally, bullies are just kids. They do not know how their actions can affect ano ther person. In the case of Tyler Clementi, Clementi’s roommate did not understand the consequences of his actions. What he thought of as a joke resulted in a death.
Sameer Hinduja, a co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center, states that kids react emotionally and most express a lot of remorse after the fact; like in cases of bullying. Additionally, Hinduja states that kids just, “mess up.” Should one act of stupid behavior affect a person’s life? If a person regrets their behavior, should they have to repent their actions indefinitely? Bullies should be punished through constructive means. They should complete community service, have privileges taken away from them, and speak out about the effects of bullying to at risk students. Remember a
16year old is not the same as a 26 year or a 6 year old.

However, some people would argue that bullies should be treated as criminals.
These people will say that bullying ruins kids’ lives. It can even cause kids to commit suicide. Yet, these people don’t always know all the facts. In the case of Phoebe
Prince, prosecutors originally thought that Prince’s tormentors, like Velazquez were the sole purpose of Phoebe’s suicide. That was not the case. Phoebe had tried to commit suicide before. Phoebe was on antide pressants and was struggling with her parents’ divorce. Though the bullying may have pushed her over the edge, it was not the singular reason. Also, according to Jessica Bennett’s article, bullying has gone down over the past decade. A person cannot call another a criminal without learning all of the details of the victim and other contributing factors.
In the end, bullies should not be considered criminals. What bullies do is wrong, no one would argue with that. But to make a 14, 15, or 16 year old go to jail for bullying is outrageous. Bullies are still children who are learning from their mistakes and their punishments should be made by the adults in their lives.