I got a letter today inviting me to attend the family conference of a youth who, as one of three, spent a night in October smashing windows of cars and houses up and down my street. As one of the victims - he put a rock through the plate glass window of our bedroom - I'm invited to say something to help make him realise the consequences of his actions.
The reality is that we were luckily out at the time. Where the rock landed was right in the middle of the bed and the spot that at least one of our dogs would usually be sleeping. Apart from the psychological effects of coming home to find your window smashed and wondering if someone was in the house, and whether the dogs were alright, and even after the terrific insurance company had sorted a glazier and the police had been, we had to start to clean a room in the early hours of the morning that had thousands of tiny slivers of glass strewn to the farthest corners.
It happened two months ago and we're still finding glass, still getting cut and scratched and we're out of pocket by $100 for the excess for the insurance company.
So I'll just go along and observe the process, take part and try to work out if it will do any good. I hope it will - its the nearest to an arse-kicking he's likely to get!
Pity you aren't allowed to actually punt him in the bum!!Now THAT would might actually make the little scroat think twice.
ReplyDeleteYeh, I think there's something to be said in having 'ten minutes in a room alone with your victims' as an alternative to jail!
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