Sunday, May 28, 2006
Sending The Wrong Message
My son managed to get himself arrested twice in one week on marijuana charges. The first one - he had left campus at his high school during lunch break to get high. When approached be a police officer, he tossed his stash in plain view of the cop and got busted. The second time, days later, someone snitched on him buying a "nik" in the hallways.
I talked to a friend of mine who is in charge of Juvenile Justice in another County about potential Civil Rights issues regarding the first arrest. He told me that if my son was guilty, trying to beat the rap on a technicality might be sending the wrong message to the kid. Furthermore, he said HE goes lighter on a youth who fesses up to guilt from the beginning. That all made sense to me, so we plead out the charges and the judge DID go easy on him.
Bottom line: his Principal let him back in school, but not before some tough talk. His Probation Officer talked tough about the consequences of him slipping up. My son has 'slipped up' repeatedly but neither one of them has done a thing. Classic case of Kindness was a sign of Weakness. They might think they're cuttingthe kid a break, but these people are doing more harm than good.
I talked to a friend of mine who is in charge of Juvenile Justice in another County about potential Civil Rights issues regarding the first arrest. He told me that if my son was guilty, trying to beat the rap on a technicality might be sending the wrong message to the kid. Furthermore, he said HE goes lighter on a youth who fesses up to guilt from the beginning. That all made sense to me, so we plead out the charges and the judge DID go easy on him.
Bottom line: his Principal let him back in school, but not before some tough talk. His Probation Officer talked tough about the consequences of him slipping up. My son has 'slipped up' repeatedly but neither one of them has done a thing. Classic case of Kindness was a sign of Weakness. They might think they're cuttingthe kid a break, but these people are doing more harm than good.
