Originally Posted by
mschwett
i wouldn't want to be held forever responsible for dumb **** i did as a 16 year old, but this kid deserves at the very least to lose his license for many, many years, do some heinous community service, and maybe a little time.
Maybe not, but when the dumb **** you do has very real and serious consequences for others, then I'm not inclined to go easy on a person just because they're "young and dumb." "I was young and dumb" is what you say when you try to climb a tree and fall out, or you get caught shoplifting a lip gloss, or you drink too much and have an unpleasant hangover, or somesuch. When your "dumb" actions lead to serious bodily injury to someone, though, then nope-- I don't think "oops sorry how silly of me" can or should cut it.
Originally Posted by
JW Fas
The disciplinary challenge here is two-fold. On one hand the 16-year-old needs to be punished for his actions. On the other hand, his parents bear responsibility for not raising him properly.
My solution? Require the kid to pay restitution for the replacement value of the bicycles plus the cyclists' medical bills, BUT don't reinstate his license until restitution has been paid in full. That means the kid will have to work a while to acquire the money, and his parents will be forced to drive him to his job every day. It appropriately punishes all parties for their failures.
Might be nice if he has to also go to some kind of counseling on why it's not "cute" or "funny" to intentionally be a jerk to other people, a remedial class on making poor decisions, and other such behavioral rehabilitations. Because that's what this stemmed from: 1. kid decided to be an arsehole to complete strangers for giggles and funsies, and 2. he did it in a way that was unsafe.