Friday’s front page story about the court convicting a 15-year-old of school-related violence caught attention. Normally trials of minors up to 16 take place behind closed doors, but an exception was granted at the request of the prosecution, once the young suspect’s full anonymity had been safeguarded to address privacy concerns expressed by his lawyer.
The judge agreed with the stated goal to draw attention to this growing problem, for which a special taskforce was formed at the end of last month. Much of the focus is on prevention, but holding culprits responsible is equally important.
For one thing, it gives the victim(s) at least some satisfaction that these kinds of deeds won’t go unpunished. The same message goes out loud and clear to others engaged in similar activities or contemplating such.
In this case the verdict was a suspended juvenile detention sentence of 15 days with two years’ probation plus 80 hours community service. That might not seem like much, but is likely to have a deterring effect on the defendant and in general.
What certainly helps is the recent reopening of Miss Lalie Youth Care and Rehabilitation Centre, because underage youngsters understandably cannot be locked up for long in a regular holding cell or prison with adults and word got out quickly. The suspect in this case spent 15 days there in pretrial detention, so he already knows what awaits him should it happen again.
Actions have consequences, also for teenagers.
