--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We don't think a child of 13 should be…" description: "\"We don't think a child of 13 should be held responsible as a man of 23. That's true for most people, but black males age 13 who have been raised on the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/ron-paul-686_adults_we-don-t-think-a-child-of-13-should-be-h_1403239.png" --- # We don't think a child of 13 should be held responsible as… ![“We don't think a child of 13 should be held responsible as a man of 23. That's true for most people, but black males age 13 who have been raised on the streets and who have joined criminal gangs are as big, strong, tough, scary and culpable as any adult and should be treated as such.” quote by Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/ron-paul-686_adults_we-don-t-think-a-child-of-13-should-be-h_1403239.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/ron-paul-686_adults_we-don-t-think-a-child-of-13-should-be-h_1403239.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd1/ron-paul-686_adults_we-don-t-think-a-child-of-13-should-be-h_1403239.png) > “We don't think a child of 13 should be held responsible as a man of 23. That's true for most people, but black males age 13 who have been raised on the streets and who have joined criminal gangs are as big, strong, tough, scary and culpable as any adult and should be treated as such.” [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote argues that some black male youths, due to harsh environments, possess adult-like culpability and should be treated as adults. **In simple terms:** Some youths are as responsible as adults because of their upbringing. Key Takeaway Treat them as adults when appropriate. Themes justice responsibility race youth crime social policy Mood critical reflective concerned Type ethical policy When to use this quote - court sentencing - rehabilitation programs - community policing - policy reform - social services Key Concepts culpability environmental determinism adultification Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance accountability with rehabilitation? - What role should socioeconomic context play in sentencing? A Different Perspective Oversimplifies complex social factors and may ignore rehabilitation potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Black males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-males/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Males](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/males/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the 'criminal justice system,' I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/given-the-inefficiencies-of-what-d-c-laughingly-calls-the-criminal/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-to-be-is-a-black/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“From working with black males for more than a dozen years, I can say with confidence that many black males are both lazy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rev-jesse-lee-peterson/from-working-with-black-males-for-more-than-a-dozen-years-i-can-say/) [Rev. 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We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominique-dubois-gilliard/today-it-is-predicted-that-nationwide-one-in-three-black-males-and/) Dominique DuBois Gilliard ## More by Ron Paul > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. 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