According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, several teens were arrested last week in Hawkinsville, GA for a senior prank that got out of control. http://www.ajc.com/news/17-arrested-when-chicken-521799.html I am not a fan of senior pranks, but every few years we hear about a bunch of kids who get in trouble trying to perpetrate one.
The kids let some chickens loose in the school and spread corn everywhere for them. Naturally the chickens made messes all over the school. The kids also put sardines in the AC system. I agree that they very clearly did not use good judgement.
The latest news reports I heard were that the kids, one of whom was the valedictorian, were charged with felony trespassing. Is it necessary to charge them with a felony? These are young adults who did something stupid. What adult can look back and say that they always used good judgement when they were that age? A felony conviction prevents them from voting. It affects their ability to get a good job for the rest of their lives. I don't think the prosecutors should punish poor judgement with more poor judgement. No one was hurt, after all. Yes, it cost the school money.
And here is what I think should be done instead of charging them with a felony. The kids should have to make restitution in terms of labor and money to fix the damage they caused. A few hours on their hands and knees scrubbing chicken poop off the floor will do a lot to improve their decision making skills.
They should also be on the hook for the repair costs to the AC system. The parents should not be allowed to pay for the damages on behalf of their children. The perpetrators should have to either get jobs and use their income to repay the school, or they should have to do janitorial work at the school through the summer until they have worked off the debt.
Ruining the lives of otherwise good kids should not be the outcome for a "prank." They didn't hurt or kill anyone, they didn't steal anything, they didn't cause major structural damage to anything. Let's get things into perspective.
What do you all think? How would you punish them? Or, if you have an update to this story, please comment and let us know.
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