DDD
Well-Known Member
A retired school teacher grandmother wrote a "guest editorial" this week about her grandson. It is worth sharing although it is
very sad. This is the way "the system" often works.
At the age of 16 a mostly easy child teen boy had his grandfather die, a
grandmother on the other side die and his Mom nearly die from injuries sustained in a car wreck. He turned to drugs to cope &
in a 4 month period he was charged with 3 crimes (robbing neighbors homes with a friend who carried a bat). There were no
injuries and the boy was sent to a juvie program and put on seven
years probation including curfews. For 2.5 years he had no issues, completed his community service hours, got his GED and
took a college course.
One evening he rode to the convenience store with his girlfriend
to get a pack of cigarettes. His PO came by that evening and he
was charged with violation of probation. He was offered eight
years by the S.A. office and since he had 2 character witnesses who knew him from his rehabilitation within the system
that volunteered to come to court on his behalf, his family encouraged him to wait "and let the Judge decide what was fair".
What did the Judge do?? He sentenced the 19 year old to 19 to
40 years!! He stated that if he had not had the witnesses there
"he would have sentenced him to a longer term".
SO...the moral of the story...is that our tax dollars will pay about $50,000 a year to support a kid for 20 years because he
made a stupid choice. When he gets out the chances are slim he
will have a future.
This other Grandmother hopes their story will result in the uniting of advocates for teenagers so they won't be treated as
rapists, murderers etc. are suppose to be treated. I can't publicly support her because my easy child/difficult child is also a convicted felon
who knows the Judge would like to send him away too. DDD
very sad. This is the way "the system" often works.
At the age of 16 a mostly easy child teen boy had his grandfather die, a
grandmother on the other side die and his Mom nearly die from injuries sustained in a car wreck. He turned to drugs to cope &
in a 4 month period he was charged with 3 crimes (robbing neighbors homes with a friend who carried a bat). There were no
injuries and the boy was sent to a juvie program and put on seven
years probation including curfews. For 2.5 years he had no issues, completed his community service hours, got his GED and
took a college course.
One evening he rode to the convenience store with his girlfriend
to get a pack of cigarettes. His PO came by that evening and he
was charged with violation of probation. He was offered eight
years by the S.A. office and since he had 2 character witnesses who knew him from his rehabilitation within the system
that volunteered to come to court on his behalf, his family encouraged him to wait "and let the Judge decide what was fair".
What did the Judge do?? He sentenced the 19 year old to 19 to
40 years!! He stated that if he had not had the witnesses there
"he would have sentenced him to a longer term".
SO...the moral of the story...is that our tax dollars will pay about $50,000 a year to support a kid for 20 years because he
made a stupid choice. When he gets out the chances are slim he
will have a future.
This other Grandmother hopes their story will result in the uniting of advocates for teenagers so they won't be treated as
rapists, murderers etc. are suppose to be treated. I can't publicly support her because my easy child/difficult child is also a convicted felon
who knows the Judge would like to send him away too. DDD