Is the process of detaining and thier sentencing too easy on juveniles?

I would completely agree that sentencing for juveniles is a farce which does not instill any fear of the law or repercussions of their actions.

Specifically, I will cite two circumstances. In 1995, a 15 year old boy hopped a fence into a parking lot of school buses and slashed 115 tires. The miscreant was caught and taken to court. The father (who knew nothing of his son's actions prior to Junior being arrested) was fined $27,000 to pay for the tires.

If I were the Judge in this case, I would have Junior working and handing over 50% of his pay until the amount was settled in full. Having Dad take out a second mortgage on his home is not hurting Junior in the slightest.

My second situation is more personal. A neighbor's child disagreed with my daughter when they were each 11 years old. The other little girl took a gallon gas can out of Dad's garage used for the lawnmower, came over to my house, doused the gas all over the front porch and set the house on fire. $18,000 damage done. I had her arrested and prosecuted, but being only 11 years of age, she was given a total of 4 months probation. As an adult, that would have been aggravated arson carrying 15 to 25 years.

So yes, the kids are growing up believing they are bulletproof until they turn 18 and then they get a huge shock when they continue in their nefarious ways and get sent to prison.


I hope this helps and you can find it useful