On 2004-04-26 15:41:00, Anonymous wrote:
"I don't agree that work, even on a chain gang, is child abuse.
Well, you are in disagreement with most human rights organizations that say forced labor, especially child labor, is abusive. Moreover, I wonder how this sheriff is not running afoul of the child labor laws, which limit the number of hours minors can work each day.
If juveniles are not getting fair trials, if their parents are *not* representing their interests the way the law presumes they will, then that part of the system needs to be fixed.
"
Unless they are tried as adults, no juveniles get a fair trial as contemplated by the Constitution. It doesn't have anything to do with their parents not representing their interests. What the law presumes is that children have different levels of culpability than adults. They also have more needs. So the system is set up to focus on rehabilitation, protect kids from hardened criminals and address their needs. It's a good system. The PROBLEM is when you have some sicko sheriff who has delusions of being in the 15th century. He is improperly using his power to circumvent the will of the people of Arizona and the protections of the Constitution.
