should some felonies fall off over time?

[Guest WyattEarp]

What may have happened is the girl, faced with the wraith of her parents, lied to her parents and said he raped her. It won't be the first time a young girl has claimed to have been raped to avoid the punishment from parents. Or maybe the girl was pressured by her parents to claim it was something more than it was. Or maybe the boy did rape her against her will. Perhaps things got too heated for the boy to stop when asked to.

Hard to say without seeing an actual police report.

Dolomite

could be very well true, and i hope that's not the case, that would be an absolutely terrible thing to pressure a girl to do. or maybe he did rape her, till the absolute facts are known i suppose it's all speculation and hearsay.

[strickj]

generally speaking, young people don't understand what they do or the consequences associated with it

Toad turds.

We're not talking about 12 year olds here. We're talking about young adults. The reason we call them "young adults" is because they're young adults.

I think most of us here have done stupid things in our younger days, but the thing that kept us from going from stupid to felonious are the consequences.

You assault a cop, rape a girl, sell crack or rob a bank, you know what you're doing and what the consequences are. Doesn't matter if you're 17 or 70.

Unfortunately, perhaps in an effort to correct the bad decisions of bad judges, we've legislated a lot of the "human touch" out of the justice system - we've replaced common sense with legislated mandatory sentencing.

Most people can look at at the situation above with the now married adults and know instinctively that he shouldn't have to wear the "badge" of a registered sex offender for the rest of his life - we know, instinctively, that two teenagers (even though one was an "adult" and one wasn't of the age of consent in THAT state) is a vastly different situation than a 40 year old raping a 12 year old little girl.

We know that a 20 year old who has a bag of pot on him or who commits some other non-violent crime (albeit a "felony") is different than someone who committed an armed robbery even if the "felonies' are classed the same or nearly the same.

We know the difference but our "law" doesn't, at lest not on a consistent basis anyway.

I do think that 1) After a reasonable period of time, 2) Where the person can demonstrate that he/she is not committing further crimes, and 3) When the original crime was non-violent; a person should be able to get his/her rights restored. At a minimum, if ANY right can be restored (i.e. the right to vote) then it should be possible for ALL/ANY right to be restored, including firearm rights.

No one is sitting in jail on a felony fr a "bag of pot" and there are no teens on the sex offender list that had sex with his GF. Least not in TN.

That said, I too would like to see a tiered time on some felonies. People do change and should deserve a second chance.

[DaveTN]

The “background check†seems to be the main focus of the anti-gun folks right now. And that’s okay with me. But with all the controversy about mental cases and criminals getting guns; I just don’t see anyone proposing anything that will make it easier for convicted criminals to get guns.

[Guest oldslowchevy]

The “background check†seems to be the main focus of the anti-gun folks right now. And that’s okay with me. But with all the controversy about mental cases and criminals getting guns; I just don’t see anyone proposing anything that will make it easier for convicted criminals to get guns.

dave i agree with your statement completely. but i have to ask... say a young adult we will say 20 years of age get a felony conviction .... for..... we'll say counterfiting. makes a few bucks with a high quality printer for the sake of argument he made $200 worth of $10 bills and got caught. after being convicted he spent a year or more in prison. came out and now many many years pass... we will say he is now 60 years old. he held a steady job bought a home and has not so much as had a parking ticket since his release. why on earth should this man not be aloud to own a gun/rifle/shot gun to defend his self with or hunt if he wants to.

he did something dumb, he paid his debt, and 35 plus years had passed and he had been a model citizen. give the guy a break.

is is cases like that i refer to. nothing violent, nothing sexual unless it is boyfriend girlfriend cases like i mentioned where it is 15+ years later and they are now married with kids of there own now. and zero repeat ofenders ever. and the felony convition should not be removed in less then 10 years from your release date at the very least.

Edited November 23, 2011 by oldslowchevy
cause i really need to proof read things

[Dolomite_supafly]

One more thing I will add to the mix.

If a person is on probation their classification cannot drop because it is still part of the original sentence. Once probation is completed then they start their classification can begin to drop. Also, if a person is ordered to pay restitution their classification cannot drop until it is paid in full. After all the restitution is part of their ongoing sentence just like probation. I know people who are ordered to pay restitution but then don't repay their debts. They continue to work but do so in a way that is untraceable.

I would like to see them do like they do for dead beat parents for any outstanding debt or if they are ordered to pay restitution. Take the driver's license away from the debtor until all ordered debts are paid. I am not talking about someone who is a month or two late on bills I am talking about those who chronically rake up debts like credit cards then refuse to pay. Those are the ones who are costing us all. Or if they are found guilty of defrauding someone then part of the sentence should be the loss of their driving priveledges (other than for work) until all debts are paid.

Dolomite

[Capbyrd]

dave i agree with your statement completely. but i have to ask... say a young adult we will say 20 years of age get a felony conviction .... for..... we'll say counterfiting. makes a few bucks with a high quality printer for the sake of argument he made $200 worth of $10 bills and got caught. after being convicted he spent a year or more in prison. came out and now many many years pass... we will say he is now 60 years old. he held a steady job bought a home and has not so much as had a parking ticket since his release. why on earth should this man not be aloud to own a gun/rifle/shot gun to defend his self with or hunt if he wants to.

he did something dumb, he paid his debt, and 35 plus years had passed and he had been a model citizen. give the guy a break.

is is cases like that i refer to. nothing violent, nothing sexual unless it is boyfriend girlfriend cases like i mentioned where it is 15+ years later and they are now married with kids of there own now. and zero repeat ofenders ever. and the felony convition should not be removed in less then 10 years from your release date at the very least.

No he shouldn't be ALLOWED to own a gun. He broke the law and knew the consequences going in. That's the problem. People know the consequences ahead of time. Make the choice on the front end to NOT be a criminal and there is no problem.

[BryanP]

there are no teens on the sex offender list that had sex with his GF. Least not in TN.

Maybe not in TN, but there's at least one in GA. I wish I'd kept the story since I can't find it now, but a few years back I read an article about a woman in the Atlanta area. She had just turned 18 and her boyfriend was just about to turn 16 when his parents decided to press charges against her after she was caught with him. She was forced on to the sex offender registry.

They're both adults now. They're married. She's still on the registry. The law has been changed since then - these days she wouldn't be placed on the registry for what she did, but they didn't go back and remove people who were caught up in this crap before.

They went to buy a house, and because of her status they knew they had to be careful; it couldn't be too close to a school or a daycare center or anything else with kids. They bought the house, then found out there was a private unadvertised daycare in a private residence within the distance limit. Now they own a house she can't live in.

[Guest pfries]

Knowing and understanding the ramifications are two different things after all at 16, I knew it all. I was having sex; did I know it could create a baby? Yes absolutely, did I really understand the total outcome? No, I did not.

The classification system would be a more appropriate method IMO.

[Capbyrd]

We aren't talking about 16 year olds and even if we were, at 16, you know the difference between right and wrong and you know that a felony strips you of rights.

[Guest oldslowchevy]

We aren't talking about 16 year olds and even if we were, at 16, you know the difference between right and wrong and you know that a felony strips you of rights.

you would be surprized at the amount of people who really does not know that completely.

[Capbyrd]

And that is the fault of both the parents and the schools. We learned about crime and consequences in school and my parents taught me right from wrong. I decided at an early age that I wanted certain rights and getting in trouble would deny me those rights. Therefore, I stayed out of trouble.

[Guest pfries]

They may know it but do they UNDERSTAND it?

Why do you suppose more teens and young adults die in high-speed auto accidents than the age group above say thirty? They know that the speed increases the risk of this happening but they do not realize or see the potential outcome and the true effect of their actions until it is to late.

[Capbyrd]

I firmly believe that they understand it. I'm sorry that I don't feel sorry for criminals. A criminal breaks the law, period. Enough said.

[tnhawk]

I think felonies should stay on the record, but after a reasonable time, rights should be restored.

[Guest WyattEarp]

No he shouldn't be ALLOWED to own a gun. He broke the law and knew the consequences going in. That's the problem. People know the consequences ahead of time. Make the choice on the front end to NOT be a criminal and there is no problem.

so what about this situation?

Original Story

Three teens arrested for allegedly breaking into Clements High School in Sugar Land | abc13.com

Follow up

Students from Fort Bend Clements High School plead no contest to criminal trespassing in school prank gone wrong | abc13.com

this is stuff my parents did in their high school days, and it was just harmless fun, in today's day and age, it's criminal? give me a break.

or what about this?

Tyell Morton: High School Student Facing 8 Years in Prison for Prank

or this?

Senior prank gone wrong: Caledonia High teens arrested for felony burglary - The Dispatch

to me, things like this are nothing more than a D.A. pandering for more convictions to toss into the win column, so they can make themselves look good and boost their chances of making a higher political office. it's sickening really. The court dockets in this country are so full of ridiculous nonsense like this, it's no wonder it takes 2 years for the arrest, investigation, and trial of an O.J. Simpson or a Casey Anthony to complete it's process from start to finish, there's too many other garbage court cases of ridiculous petty nonsense drowning the court system from doing it's real job.

There's other ways to curb and correct behavior besides slapping a felony label on someone and ruining their future, and fining them and sending them to jail.

your views are way too cut and dry, black and white, right and wrong. I used to think like you, and all it did was show ignorance and cause people to not want to talk to me or be around me. Not everything in this world is just cut and dry, black and white, right or wrong, there's a whole lot of in between. Been there, done that.

it would do you some good to learn some compassion and empathy and have understanding. It was a tough lesson for me to learn this and one I had to learn the hard way, but when you go through life with that hardliner's stance/attitude you have, you'll find the world can become a pretty lonely place.

People make mistakes, sometimes people don't think things out, and what seems like a harmless prank or a joke to them, turns out to be the top story on the 10 pm news and a big deal gets made about it, and more so than it needs to be.

[strickj]

Wyatt, in your parents' day, you could not only get away with a DUI but the officers would follow you home to make sure you made it in one piece.

In your parents' day, a bunch of kids out drinking at the drive-in or the pool hall were left to be. "Harmless fun" they called it.

In your parents' day, drag racing on "the strip" was totally acceptable.

In your parents' day, children did not shoot up schools and there was no fear of terrorist attacks at our schools.

In your parents' day, people left their doors open at night.

In your parents', parents' day, it was ok to attack blacks for drinking out of the wrong water fountain.

Are these examples directly related to a bunch of DAs looking for a bigger spread sheet?

I firmly believe that they understand it. I'm sorry that I don't feel sorry for criminals. A criminal breaks the law, period. Enough said.

My 3 year old niece fully understands that if she throws a toy in my living room that she'll get her butt spanked.

Criminals -young and old alike- fully understand the consequences of their actions.... but being criminals and all, they simply do not care.

[Guest WyattEarp]

Wyatt, in your parents' day, you could not only get away with a DUI but the officers would follow you home to make sure you made it in one piece.

In your parents' day, a bunch of kids out drinking at the drive-in or the pool hall were left to be. "Harmless fun" they called it.

In your parents' day, drag racing on "the strip" was totally acceptable.

In your parents' day, children did not shoot up schools and there was no fear of terrorist attacks at our schools.

In your parents' day, people left their doors open at night.

In your parents', parents' day, it was ok to attack blacks for drinking out of the wrong water fountain.

Are these examples directly related to a bunch of DAs looking for a bigger spread sheet?

strickj, we've come a long ways, but you can't sit there and tell me that it's justified to flood our court systems with trivial cases of minor mischief as I linked above, when no one was harmed, yet prosecutors want to slap a criminal charge on someone for every little thing.

minor mischief such as these teen high school pranks are not indicative of a criminal element that will only get worse.

how far is too far? where does the line get drawn? If we allow this to continue, it won't be long before, just saying the derogatory/discriminatory term for a person of a different ethnicity out in public will be a hate crime and a felony with prison time associated with it.

if you accidentally bump into someone in public and they take it the wrong way, it's assault. if you argue with a police officer it's disorderly conduct and you get arrested. If you disobey an order from a cop (doesn't matter if it's a lawful order or not), you get arrested.

all of these laws that get piled on by the month, get dumber and dumber and more oppressive with each passing day.

I agree that there's a lot of stupid people out there, who do a lot of stupid things that many of us don't understand, but how much of it is really criminal? and how much of it is just stupid stuff that's being blown out of proportion?

it's no longer about crime, it's about money and getting convictions. D.A, gets a conviction, looks good on his resume, the person gets fined, loses money, serves some time in city or county jail, costs the taxpayers money, and earns the city money in terms of court costs and fines. On top of that, they lose their job if their employer finds out,

This is why people as a whole don't give a **** anymore, the laws are oppressive, the fines and court costs are ridiculous, the punishments aren't really representative of the crimes, and you have to serve community service AND be on probation at the same time, and for what? because Bobby Sue and JoAnn had a verbal argument in the parking lot and got charged with disorderly conduct? Because a man came home from work, to find his wife and kids gone, a note on the table saying she left and took the kids, and so he says something out of emotion, and now he's facing criminal charges?

the United States legal system is no longer a justice system, it's the newest modern day Ponzi scheme.

I got a ticket last year for invalid plates. My car was in the shop, I had no one to run me to the shop to take a few bolts that were needed to complete the work so I could get my car back the next day, so I used my license plate and put it on my roommates backup car (and with his permission to use the car) that wasn't tagged or titled, to run 3 miles up the road and take the bolts up there so the shop could finish the job. I went straight there and straight back, and on the way back, I got pulled over by some cop who just happened to randomly run my license plate. I wasn't speeding, had my seatbelt on, was using my turn signals. I got a ticket after a 45 minute stop to verify the car wasn't stolen, and I was completely honest about what I was doing and why I did it. Care to guess how much the court costs and fine were for that ticket?

$2 fine for invalid registration/misuse of a license plate.

$110 was the court costs.

plus another $10 for additional time to pay (60 days). $122 for a stupid thing like that AND i had to go to court for it. Why? Why not just let me pay the fine/court cost and save the docket spot for something more serious that needs a judge's actual attention?

now what that really criminal? No. but because the law says it was, that's how I got treated. and where did my honesty get me? Nowhere. Cops always expect you to be honest, and when you do, they just use it to stick it to you. Some of it does balance out, because I've had some things cops have let me go on that could have cost a pretty penny that were "against the law", but seriously weren't criminal. and that's not the point here.

The point is, there needs to be a line drawn, crimes, mischief and minor isses need to be thoroughly re-evaluated, reclassified and some of these idiotic laws our legislators have concocted and managed to get passed need to be done away with.

[Capbyrd]

Before you make assumptions about me, get to know me. I don't always fully express my views in a forum post. You should know that I don't agree with the laws but until the law is changed, it's enforced. That's how I believe it should be. If you have a problem with a law, the right way to handle it is through legislature. You don't break a law in protest of the law.

I stand by my previous posts. And yes I believe that if some kids commit a crime in the. And of a prank, they should be held accountable. I don't understand how so many people can just be okay with people committing crimes.

[Guest oldslowchevy]

i just thinkit is funny that most of the people making the laws for us do far worst crimes while in office then we will ever do but thats ok. i was living in dc when the mayor got caught smoking crack and with a hooker, yet he remained mayor and got relected ifi remember right. but no if you or i did that our rights would be long long gone.

just food for thought.

[Guest pfries]

just food for thought.

Yeah but it leaves a bad taste.

[strickj]

I got a ticket last year for invalid plates. My car was in the shop, I had no one to run me to the shop to take a few bolts that were needed to complete the work so I could get my car back the next day, so I used my license plate and put it on my roommates backup car (and with his permission to use the car) that wasn't tagged or titled, to run 3 miles up the road and take the bolts up there so the shop could finish the job. I went straight there and straight back, and on the way back, I got pulled over by some cop who just happened to randomly run my license plate. I wasn't speeding, had my seatbelt on, was using my turn signals. I got a ticket after a 45 minute stop to verify the car wasn't stolen, and I was completely honest about what I was doing and why I did it. Care to guess how much the court costs and fine were for that ticket?

$2 fine for invalid registration/misuse of a license plate.

$110 was the court costs.

So, let me get this straight. You broke the law and are complaining about having to pay for it?

How about blaming yourself for putting a wrong tag on another car instead of blaming the court for making you pay for it.

And while we're at it, let's blame criminals for committing crimes instead of blaming it on some DA.

As far as your "examples" above; you do realize that breaking into a building is a crime, right? It is a crime that will cost the victim time and money to fix. If a kid\young adult breaks into my home, he's going to be shot. I don't give a damn if his intentions are to rob me or to pull a prank on me. His actions are criminal and they put me in danger.

From one of your links:

was arrested last week after school surveillance cameras captured a picture of a man dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and wearing latex gloves, concealing a package and leaving without it.

Believing that it contained explosives, officials evacuated the school and the Indiana State Police bomb squad was called in to dispose of the package. It turns out that the package, which was placed in the girls' bathroom, contained a blow-up doll.

In todays times, this is a very valid fear.

This kid broke into a building, caused damage to the building, caused police to spend time and money investigating the package, and probably scared the turds out of several parents thinking their kids are going to get blown up the next morning when news broke of a mysterious package hit the air waves. But he should just be let go because his intentions were that of a prank?

Actually, you know what... I think I see your side now. I think I'll contact my Rep Monday morning and bring this to his attention. I'm going to ask him to draft a bill which makes a "prank" exception to all crimes.

If someone robs a convenience store as a prank - no jail time.

If someone steals a car for a joy ride - no jail time.

If someone shoots and kills someone and they say it was just a prank to scare them - no jail time.

[Guest pfries]

Strickj: Capbyrd:

I do not think that a crime should go unpunished, and I am not so sure that is quite where Wyatt ment his post to lead? He would need to clarify that.

Where the problem with the system that is in place lies is here;

Our Forefathers wrote into the constitution to protect the freedoms, liberties and rights of our citizens. They did so with certain conditions, one of those conditions that were implied was that a person could be stripped of those rights if they committed a crime of gross misconduct against the individual, or the government, and only then through “due process of law” and only by commission of a “felony”. Our Forefathers defined a felony as a crime punishable by capital punishment. The term “felony” has been so diluted over time that it does not bear the same weight it was ment to when the constitution was written. Today many acts classified as a felony do not merit capital punishment. A teenager caught with a small amount of weed a couple of times has committed a crime each time, and should be punished to a more severe extent each time, but they have not committed an offense deserving of the death penalty. We need to reclassify many things or amend the constitution. I would rather see us reclassify certain crimes to allow for this, if we amend the constitution, it will leave the potential for loopholes, loopholes that could allow someone that should loose their rights to keep them.

Edited November 24, 2011 by pfries

[Guest WyattEarp]

Before you make assumptions about me, get to know me. I don't always fully express my views in a forum post. You should know that I don't agree with the laws but until the law is changed, it's enforced. That's how I believe it should be. If you have a problem with a law, the right way to handle it is through legislature. You don't break a law in protest of the law.

I stand by my previous posts. And yes I believe that if some kids commit a crime in the. And of a prank, they should be held accountable. I don't understand how so many people can just be okay with people committing crimes.

you sound just like I did when I had that mindset lol. i still have some harsh opinions on matters, but they are usually reserved for violent and disgusting criminals, like murderers and pedophiles.

So, let me get this straight. You broke the law and are complaining about having to pay for it?

How about blaming yourself for putting a wrong tag on another car instead of blaming the court for making you pay for it.

And while we're at it, let's blame criminals for committing crimes instead of blaming it on some DA.

I'm not complaining about the law, and accepted responsibility and I paid the ticket, didn't really have any other choice.

I'm complaining about the oppressiveness of the laws, and how we have to have silly laws for every silly little thing, and how they have ridiculous fines associated with them.

you don't have to write tickets for every little thing. you don't have to prosecute every silly little so called crime. it's reached the point where it's become excessive and

It's funny how a prosecutor has discretion on whether or not to prosecute a case, but when it's something like a prank that was pretty much harmless and intended in good nature, they choose to prosecute anyways.

there's a difference between something being inappropriate or wrong and it being illegal, and I believe many of our laws that are prosecuted as "illegal" really lack validity, and are problem more weighted to be inappropriate or wrong, but are in effect harmless.

does that mean some sort of correction action shouldn't be taken? No, I'm not saying that all, but the severity of that corrective action should be altered appropriately.

As far as your "examples" above; you do realize that breaking into a building is a crime, right? It is a crime that will cost the victim time and money to fix. If a kid\young adult breaks into my home, he's going to be shot. I don't give a damn if his intentions are to rob me or to pull a prank on me. His actions are criminal and they put me in danger.

From one of your links:

In todays times, this is a very valid fear.

This kid broke into a building, caused damage to the building, caused police to spend time and money investigating the package, and probably scared the turds out of several parents thinking their kids are going to get blown up the next morning when news broke of a mysterious package hit the air waves. But he should just be let go because his intentions were that of a prank?

Actually, you know what... I think I see your side now. I think I'll contact my Rep Monday morning and bring this to his attention. I'm going to ask him to draft a bill which makes a "prank" exception to all crimes.

If someone robs a convenience store as a prank - no jail time.

If someone steals a car for a joy ride - no jail time.

If someone shoots and kills someone and they say it was just a prank to scare them - no jail time.

It will be pointless to argue with you on every little point, and I don't have all the answers, but the system needs to be fixed, changed, re-evaluated, and crimes need to be recategorized, rather than just charging someone for a crime, slapping some sort of offender label on them that follows them around for the rest of their lives, and keeps them from getting a job, or getting into a certain school, or taking advantage of future opportunities. no one is perfect, and sometimes good people make bad or ill-advised decisions, even though they had good intentions, something was taken the wrong way, taken out of context and blown out of proportion. If some damage was done, then the kid needs to be responsible for the damages and pay for it. But should he have a record because of it that will follow him around all of his life? I don't believe so.

There's other ways aside from labeling people as "criminals", to deal with behaviors that need to be corrected, when the offense is minor in nature. Just because the government labels an offense as a crime, doesn't mean a person who violates it is a "criminal" or a bad person. That public perception is too common place.

Your "what if" scenarios don't fly in my eyes. When people live on "well, what if this or that situation", to me that shows they are too worried about things they can stop or control and have no power over. by that same logic, none of us should have guns, because "what if you go berserk tomorrow and walk into a gas station and open fire simply because you have gun.". You can't plan for everything little thing, you can't limit this or that based on what if. you live your life like that, you'll be very a depressed and paranoid person who is always fearful of something happening, who is always looking over their shoulder, and is always worried about what's going to happen next?

WHEN something happens, you deal with it according to the people involved, the circumstances and the intent of the action. You can't prevent everything. Its disturbing to see how much money is continually wasted on some government oversight committee being assembled to investigate how a Columbine happened, or how a Virginia Tech happened, and then all of the stupid new laws that come out as a result of it in some vain attempt to curb, prevent and stop it from happening again.

The North Hollywood Shootout is a prime example of what if paranoia. The liberals in Commiefornia banned rifles from having a removable magazine because of the "what if logic". The Brady Bill was a result of idiotic "what if" logic.

Deal with the real criminals who are out to hurt people and have harmful intent, but don't categorize the people who make minor mistakes as criminals and make the penalties outrageous, excessive or unfair. we're all human beings, we all make mistakes, and there's other methods of correction that can be instituted.

[Guest WyattEarp]

Strickj: Capbyrd:

I do not think that a crime should go unpunished, and I am not so sure that is quite where Wyatt ment his post to lead? He would need to clarify that.

Where the problem with the system that is in place lies is here;

Our Forefathers wrote into the constitution to protect the freedoms, liberties and rights of our citizens. They did so with certain conditions, one of those conditions that were implied was that a person could be stripped of those rights if they committed a crime of gross misconduct against the individual, or the government, and only then through “due process of law” and only by commission of a “felony”. Our Forefathers defined a felony as a crime punishable by capital punishment. The term “felony” has been so diluted over time that it does not bear the same weight it was ment to when the constitution was written. Today many acts classified as a felony do not merit capital punishment. A teenager caught with a small amount of weed a couple of times has committed a crime each time, and should be punished to a more severe extent each time, but they have not committed an offense deserving of the death penalty. We need to reclassify many things or amend the constitution. I would rather see us reclassify certain crimes to allow for this, if we amend the constitution, it will leave the potential for loopholes, loopholes that could allow someone that should loose their rights to keep them.

prfies, i sometimes have a difficult time of getting a point or concept across the way I intended, and you hit the nail on the head. thanks for saying what I was unable to, in a way it's better understood.

at the same time, I think discretion and common sense need to be used by police and prosecutors. I think everyone should be held accountable for things that are deemed unacceptable by law or society, but how that's done needs to be re-thought, revisited, and re-examined. I believe we can find different and effective ways of changing behaviors without resorting to labeling everyone as a criminal, or subjecting them to having a record that follows them around, or excessive fines for trivial traffic violations.

in the case of the kids and the high school prank with gym chairs, even requiring them to enter a plea was a joke in my opinion. they should have been required to pay for the damages to the door, and the remaining punishment dished out by the authority figures at the school, and the matter should have been closed.

i don't care what anyone says, the kid who planted the blowup doll in the box should not be charged with a felony, let alone a misdemeanor. he needs to be educated. his act was a prank and intended to be such, instead some prosecutor wants to charge the kid with a felony, and stick him in a cell. I'd be all for it if the kid had called in a bomb threat, and then planted the box with the blowup doll in it, but that's not what happened. clearly he didn't think. in cases like the 2 above, a little humility and embarrassment is in order for the youngsters, but nothing that's going to follow them around when some employer runs a background check.

traffic violations and minor non-violent violations, need to be recategorized as "civil improprieties". things like speeding, license plates, brake lights being out, window tint, unsafe vehicle, trespassing, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, excessive noise, . civil improprieties should not follow you around, should not be publicized, and there shouldn't be a record of it.

offenses involving drugs, alcohol, stimulants, unauthorized acquisition of prescription medications, should be classified as a substance impropriety. in minor cases, such as getting caught with a joint, or a very small amount, shouldn't go on your criminal record. a fine, and a requirement to attend some drug abuse education, and being required to speak to a class or classes of students your age group about drugs.

violent and sexual offenses of any nature should be a "crime". rape, robbery, burglary, any offenses with a weapon, assault which results in serious bodily injury (broken bones, cuts, lacerations, disfigurement, brain damage, nervous system damage), molestation, poisoning, stabbing,

non-violent offenses of a serious nature should remain crimes such as embezzlement, fraud, forgery, counterfeiting, white collar crimes, stealing, should remain as they are.

im not going to go through every single one, but maybe my point comes off a littler better now that I've explained a little bit better?

[Guest pfries]

Wyatt

Very well put ,

on some of the minor infractions I can see a probationary period, if all is said and done continue on. I agree, a revamp of some sort is needed.