An eleven year old girl in Ohio beat a two month old baby to death, as reported by CNN and all major news networks in early July. She was formally charged with murder in juvenile court and was ordered to undergo a mental competency exam before trial for her crime.

The girl beat the infant to death while the mother napped on the couch, reports the news networks. However, the girl was deemed as unfit to stand trial by an Ohio judge after an evaluation. The judge determined that the girl would not understand what was happening in a court. The murder charge will be dismissed after the girl spends 90 days in juvenile detention.

As mentioned before, this girl might have benefited from early mental health intervention. Also, as previously mentioned, the girl could endure more mental trauma in juvenile detention. America’s response to these crimes is to treat this girl like a criminal, instead of providing the mental health help she desperately needs.

It is difficult for us to understand why someone would kill an infant in such an inhumane manner, however, our process of handling the issue may be misguided. As Americans, we are afraid of death, and it shows through cases like this, where we want to put away the girl, instead of trying to heal her.

Additionally, this girl could have benefited from early intervention in mental health issues. Perhaps, if early intervention was possible and available, the baby would still be alive. While it is never okay to kill anyone, an early intervention in this case could have saved two very young lives.

One life is over. Another is on a terrible path of self-destruction and jail without help. Isn’t it time to step up and realize that mental health intervention nationwide is worth funding?

Please contact Vancouver Home Health Care Agency with any questions regarding mental health.
At Vancouver Home Health Care Agency, Caring and Compassion is our business.