i used to do stupid things when i was young. not king hitting people or anything, but stuff that could certainly have ruined my life if the apprehending officers at the time had chosen to enforce the sort of punishments were within their power and that would have acted as a deterrent to other people.
not passing judgement on this particular case now, but i think a problem that exists is there are lot of kids out there who have the odd MEGA stupid moment when they are under the influence, but then never again as they grow up, and become wonderful people who take the time to help others not to make similar mistakes.
if the law was used to the capacity that some here think it should, then the rest of their lives would have been ruined because they were unlucky enough to have the wrong person handle their plight at the time.
so generally, i don't think there is anything wrong with a benevolent society. in most cases, the problem is one of upbringing. why not push for better role modeling and pathways instead of harsher penalties? i don't want to live in a totalitarian regime, i just want people to take more time to mentor kids, especially young boys turning into men.
pathways are everything. a kid with talent will get nowhere in life if they are not afforded the right avenues to have it realized. likewise, plenty of good kids will turn into idiots doing stupid things if they are not guided the right way.
its very much a male problem, from what i can see. older guys need to step up more and take the time to be mentors and role models. help young guys to be more self confident, give them more of your time, tell them your stories.
