What is your opinion of this punishment of a wayward 13 year old youth?

Question

I went to the local shop today and saw a 13 year old youth on his hands and knees with a small flat head screwdriver painstakingly scraping the weeds from inbetween the herringbone bricks that surround the front and side of the shop, as I know the owners quite well I asked why the lad (who's parents are extremely wealthy - so I knew he wasn't doing this job for pocket money) was doing this job and I was told that they had suffered over 10,000 Euros worth of damage through loss of stock as the freezer had been unplugged and on inspection of the CCTV camera in the shop it was this lad that had unplugged the freezer - just to impress his 'friends'

He was told that it was either charges would be brought against him for malicious damage or they would set the punishment. He thought they would have him stocking shelves or washing floors, boy, was he wrong !.

He was humiliated and laughed at today and I thought well done the owners of the shop - humiliation and degrading work is fit punishment for the likes of this youth.

Will it change him ? - probably not - but hey he will certainly think of the consequences of his actions the next time he tries to impress his 'friends'.

Do you agree or disagree ?

Answer 1

I think it is appropriate punishment.  I disagree about changing him.  This may be EXACTLY what he needs to straighten up.  I think all of us had experiences as children that may have changed our course in life.  

Answer 2

i think he will think twice next time he thinks of impressing his friends with stupid things.

Answer 3

i agree

Answer 4

he should have been prosecuted.

Answer 5

I agree entirely.

I also think that youths who spray obscene grafitti around our streets where young children can read it should spend their weekeds scrubbing it off - in full view of their peers so as to act as a deterrent,

Answer 6

it wouldnt happen in england. the PC brigade wouldnt allow a criminal to be treated so harshly.

but i agree.  

Answer 7

I never agree with humiliation as a punishment. Thumbs down me all you want, I think that the grueling labor and dirty work is fine... but humilation is uncalled for.

Answer 8

agree. noone should behave like that, and it gives other young people a bad name. good for them.

Answer 9

yep it will change him we all have similar storys I was tiny, perhaps 4 & didn't understand $ so when I found a pack of gum on the floor of the grocery i took it, when my mom found it I had to return it & apologise. I was mortified.

Answer 10

a nice punishment he was made to do a rubbish job and hopefully will think twice before mucking about in future.

at least the cops, social workers etc  never got involved that would have ruined the lad

Answer 11

Give it a week and he will be up to his tricks again.

Answer 12

High Five!

Answer 13

i agree with you 100%....that brat must have been humiliated to death...and good, he deserved it..

have to agree with most of the other answer"s...he"ll be up to no good again before we know it

Answer 14

I agree with the shop owners. He needs to learn a lesson. I love it when I see on the news where a mom is standing by her child on the street corner holding a sign stating the offense the child did. Maybe it'll keep them out of prison later. A good old hard days work never hurt anyone.

Answer 15

Sounds good

Answer 16

  Good for the store owner!  This is a punishment that he is not likely to forget.  I think that he got off easy.  Being arrested and doing time in jail would have been worse.

Answer 17

Yeah i totally agree. That's a suitable punishment and im sure he wouldnt dare try it again. He probly hates his 'friends' now though, which isn't the best thing for a kid because then he'll get bored and...

Answer 18

Agree.

Answer 19

agree

Answer 20

Yes, I think it is an appropriate punishment.

Answer 21

yep, totally agree.

Answer 22

agree ..brilliant

Answer 23

Yes, I agree.  What a thoughtful solution - getting the culprit to pay for his actions by humiliating labour.

Answer 24

I agree; too many parents today are afraid to discipline their kids.

Answer 25

Good for them. Punishment is good most times.

Answer 26

Great idea.

Answer 27

Agree. That's hilarious.  

Answer 28

I'm quite impressed by this story.  

I couldn't think of a better form to punish the lad. It will not do him any damage whatsoever, on the contrary it will make him realise how stupid and insensitive was to have done what he did.

Besides the hard work will do him a lot of good because many youngsters do bad things because they are idle. As they say: The devil always finds something to do for idle hands.

I'm sure that one day when he will be grown up he will look at the experience and his chance of repayment thankfully.

I think that here there is a good lesson for society. Make the people who do damage work hard to repair the damage that they have done. For instance football hooligans could be made to do that as part of the sentence when they play havoc after some football matches.

Answer 29

At least he turned up to do the job.  He could have been a no show.  A bit of hard manual labour never hurts anyone, apart from aching muscles from bending and a bit of suntan... I bet he will think twice next time he wants to 'impress' his mates.

I agree with the punishment.  They should do that England.

Answer 30

Agree! Kudos to the parents and the owners. Sadly, I also agree that this probably won't change him.  

Answer 31

No it is not a fitting punishment - who wants a child to grow up feeling humiliated and the subject of ridicule?

I think you are wrong!