an idea on how to punish repeat young offenders

[Ginger Tea]

In the UK the criminal age is 18 I think, it could be 16, im not too sure, but you read about teenage kids racking up countless crimes and getting off "scott free" as they are too young to be taken to court

years ago I had the idea to try them normally and give out the relevant sentance, and let them go.
Then on their 18th birthday, before they can blow out the candles and legaly go to the pub to celebrate, the police come and lock them up for that lenght of time, regardless of how long or short it is.

So habitual repeat offenders might rack up 3 years of jail time between their first offence and their 18th birthday and with no hope of parole, as they had all that time inbetween living in the free world.

It would mean kids like the one the tabloids nicknamed "rat boy" (late 90's early 00) would be in for a very very long time.

It would make me think twice if I knew I wouldn't see the light of day for 10+ years no parole for all these 3months 6months sentances

but we all know the legal system would never go for such a thing

[Greenday]

I'd pray the justice system never adopted this idea.

Commit a crime now, pay for it now. Let's say a 10 year commits a crime. We're going to just let him walk freely for 8 years? First fail. Then, when he's older and may have already learned from his mistakes and could be a perfectly functioning member of society, you are going to throw him in jail?

I am clueless as to what this suggestion is meant to accomplish.

[Ginger Tea]

unless hes been at it for countless crimes s/he might only have a 3 month sentance
but I got sick and tired of reading about habitual offenders that if adult age would have racked up years of jail time all because they were under age.
some were violent crimes
10 year old rapist, cant touch him
10 year old voilent muger, cant touch him
afaik only the Jamie Bulger murderers were ever put in prison for murder, any other under age murderer might just get juvie

not really talking about asbo-nation vandals, but those that know we can't do a thing to stop them not even a clip round the ear.

a compromise would be to keep tracks of his or her crimes and recomended prison term, if they rack up a minimum ammount of crimes or time, then they would serve it.
a one off offence or a few with 6 months, leave em be, but anything after 18 treat them as if anyone that age would be treated.

[Greenday]

Then the UK needs to get a system like the US for juvenile hall.

[Sage Blackthorn]

Honestly, I don't think juvenile hall works on youngsters. Most all of the kids I knew growing up who were sent to juvie ended up becoming career criminals as adults and landing in jail. Some of the "troubled youth" I knew in school who's parents decided they couldn't handle them, but didn't want them going to juvenile hall sent them to programs where the kids either got to go through a military-style boot camp or got sent to a wilderness youth program where they got taken out into the wild for between 1-3 months away from home and family (where alot of the conflicts started), from friends (who were pressuring them to do things they shouldn't), away from the Internet, the Television, the Radio, their Nintendo or their Sega (distractions)....and away from the cushy life where they had food, shelter, and clothing just given to them. 1-3 months under the guidance of a wilderness survival expert with a degree in child psychology who'd raised kids of his own (parenting experience) seemed to straighten those kids out. It was amazing to see the change in them the next school year. They went from bullies to being not just respectful of others, but also polite. Some of them just needed to be away from the negative influences in their life, others needed to be away from their families (one or two had parents getting divorced), other's just needed to have the entitlement mentality knocked out of them by having to fend for themselves for the most part. And some of them just needed to feel like part of a group.

Whatever it was, there's a lot of kids that I think a few months in the woods would be much better for than being sent to juvenile hall. Of course there are always other reasons why kids will turn to crime. No one solution will work on everyone. Ya' have to figure out why a child is misbehaving and fix the problem. There's a few kids I knew growing up who didn't straighten out until their doctor put them on medication, but chemical imbalances in the brain were rare, and most of the kids were just having problems at home or at school (peer pressure, asshole teachers, bullies....you know, all the usual crap we had to go through as well) an just didn't know how to deal with it.

[crazylegs]

Criminal age of responsibility in the UK is 11.

There is a system of juvenille detention, however just like adult prisons you have to comit a huge amount of crimes to be sent down. I'm aware of offenders with 50+ convictions that get non-custodial sentances when they attend court...

[Plaidman]

It wouldn't work.

First they will start to feel invincible after awhile. After all, to them, if they do it at a young enough age, will feel like it will be a loooong time before they have to serve time. Which may give them the confidence to do more and more horrid crimes.

Then on the eve before they turn 18, they realize how many years they'll have to serve, and get desperate enough to commit as much mayham and murder in the hopes of being killed by police rather then serve rest of their life in prison.


Then there are those who do alot of stupid things, but become far better before they turn 18.

Using me for example. Lots of arson, proptery destruction, theft, murderous impluses towards alot of people, nearly killing some, and another one I will not talk about.

Yeah. I was a bad kid. I won't defend myself. I have no excuses except crippling lonely and being constently bullied and ignored by /loved/ ones. I only had three friends. Me, myself and I.

To say I gotten several /different/ personalities, I won't say split as I was well aware of all my actions as different peiople, but those were my omly way to combat being alone is an understatement. The only thing I never did was drink and do drugs after seeing what it was doing to my family. Though the thought of becoming extremely popular was a thought in my head, as the aunts/uncles that did drugs and drank always had people over to talk to. When I was a young teenanger, seeing all my cousins that did drugs or drank having tons of friends and girlfriends also made me extremely tempted to start. However at that point, I was already a loser forever, and noway to change that. Family knew I didn't do that, and thus would only be pretending and crying for help, which would have promptly made them put me down harshly for daring to act different from their perceptions. Plaidman being alone and bitter was far better then Plaidman being happy and with people and love to them, because it was how it was always been. If I did differently, then they'd have to /hang/ with me.


I'm a better person I'd think. Strict moral ethics. I don't see alot of grey. But it came at the cost of friends and love.

A HUGE chunk of my family is off drugs now. But all of them have kids and ether girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband, and great jobs.

They did drugs and drank more then half their life and got great success.

I was the only one that didn't, and I got to be alone, bitter, crippled and emontionally drained.

Doesn't change the fact I'd still be in prison for the things I've done when Iw as younger and learned to be better by my own experences.

[KabeRinnaul]

I'm with Sage in the boot camp/military school idea. I think the key points in those might be getting the kid away from bad influences, forcing the kid to face the consequences of his actions, and providing him with authority figures he can't blow off, intimidate, or screw around with.

[Andara Bledin]

I really like the survival camp idea.

Teach them useful skills while keeping them away from the influences that are most likely the root of the problem.

^-.-^

[Sleepwalker]

Speaking as someone sent to a couple of those wilderness camps, they're bullshit. A bunch of kids who got bad grades or refused to go to church thrown in with baby stompers. It comes down to whatever parent wants to get rid of their spawn, giving them to a bunch of untrained creeper counselors and an all around bad situation.

[Skelly]

Criminal age of responsibility in the UK is 11.

There is a system of juvenille detention, however just like adult prisons you have to comit a huge amount of crimes to be sent down. I'm aware of offenders with 50+ convictions that get non-custodial sentances when they attend court...

Isn't it 10 in England and Wales, and 8 in Scotland?

[Sage Blackthorn]

Speaking as someone sent to a couple of those wilderness camps, they're bullshit. A bunch of kids who got bad grades or refused to go to church thrown in with baby stompers. It comes down to whatever parent wants to get rid of their spawn, giving them to a bunch of untrained creeper counselors and an all around bad situation.

Now I'm curious as to what camp you went to, what's the professional background of the people working there was, and how long ago was this? Not all Wilderness Schools are created equal. If the person running it can afford to pay the liability insurance they can pretty much run it however they want. So such places range from the level of day-care centers to serious wilderness survival training. It all depends on who's running the place.