Riddle Me This.... (Juvenile Justice Content)

[Sherry Darling]

So I've been, as a few of you may know, I have been teaching at the Juvenile Detention Center here in VA. I've recently learned that one of my kids, one of the ones who always seemed genuinely "hard" to me as opposed to putting on a facade, is doing his Juvie Hall time for a physical conflict with his father. His father was drunkenly beating his mother, and has been for some time. He intervened.

Can anyone riddle me this: why exactly should this kid respect a legal system that cannot protect her?

[DaveC]

I really hope he beat the shit out of pops.

[anitram]

Do you know the exact facts of the case? Generally in cases like that, judges go out of their way to show leniency, so I'd actually be very surprised if the story was that straightforward.

[Sherry Darling]

Those are the facts I have, but there may be facts I'm not aware of, indeed. Sadly, in VA's "zero tolerance" culture, I can't say I'm surprised by the outcome.

[Angela Harlem]

I've got about a hundred questions for you, Sherry, but will try to limit this to only a few! Do you know what your youth offender rates are, as a side note? Do you know much about this kid's? Do you also know if your system is like many others that are currently trying to take the issue of domestic violence out of the home and into the courts, where it rightfully belongs?

[Sherry Darling]

I do not know about our recidivism rates, except that they are high. I would not be surprised if this kid have priors, but I can't be sure. He *hates* older men in authority (go figure) and can be mouthy, so I don't think he did himself any favors with the judge or arresting officers, but again that's speculation.

From what I gather reading new articles and such on domestic violence, it is not dealt with nearly enough in the courts, or even reported, nearly enough.