What do you think about this? Isn't it ridiculously unfair?

I agree that it is silly.
Obviously what he did was wrong and he should be reprimanded, but 8 years is ridiculous imho.

What did he do wrong? I mean, littering, maybe…

Past ridiculous but par for the course in this day and age of paranoia. One does wonder what possessed the security guard to start the process though. Did he/she even look into the stall? Barney Fife to the max.

That poor boy thought he’d get some laughs and at most a warning from his school if caught.

@sarahhhhh Probably would have if not for his “tan”. Race , perception of motivation and punishment severity go hand in hand when it comes to the law, in my experience.

@throssog It could very well be, you know. I have experienced the same with the judicial system a few times.

edit: not personal experience I meant I’ve seen it hapen.

Damn. Not cool.

@Blackberry In truth.

An overreaction in a paranoid world.
Although that’s no way to treat your date, dumping a gal in the john ain’t exactly romantic now is it?

@ucme I know, I know, but, do you know what the undergraduate students at the London School of Economics used to do with the stuffed and mounted remains of Bentham every year? Even worse. tee hee:)

@throssog That has nothing on the debauched antics in the corridors of Eton good sir.
Why, trousers around the ankles, a riding crop & a stiff upper lip were commonplace don’t you know?
Tally-ho Rupert!!

It is plain wrong.

Considering the Prosecutors have stated that they don’t intend to seek a prison term, I don’t think it’s unfair. They saw suspicious activity and a suspicious package that was left behind in the school. If it would have been a bomb/explosive and they didn’t do anything about it (thinking it was just a prank), and someone was hurt, then they’d be facing a lawsuit of their own for not doing something about it.

I can understand people not agreeing with it, but considering the school basically had to treat it as a bomb threat, I think it’s fair. My high school had bomb threats called in on just about a monthly basis, it was a pain. The article doesn’t mention if it happened during school hours or not (just that it was on the last day), so we really don’t know how much of a disruption this caused. The school did have to lock down though, so obviously they had some disruption from their normal day stuff due to this.

It sucks for him and hopefully he won’t actually be labeled a felon. I get the feeling the Prosecutors aren’t going to really take it that far, but I could be wrong.

It’s a sad day when a high school prank is treated like that.

@ucme Quite so,sir – quite so!
@marinelife Yes, without a doubt.
@Seaofclouds I am afraid you and I will have to agree to disagree on this point and, I fear, your whole chain of logic. I wondered, above, why someone, security guard perhaps, hadn’t taken a look at the “package – a blow-up doll is rather obvious, eh? I must say you have much more faith in the good sense of prosecutors than I. May it be that you are right and I wrong…but I doubt it.
@YARNLADY I am in total agreement with you – that a school prank should become a federal case?!?

@throssog We can agree to disagree. I do have a question though. If you noticed a unknown person in a hoodie and you couldn’t see his face and saw that he went in with a small package, but did not return with it, would you really go to check out what the package was? I wouldn’t have. That’s exactly why schools and other places have procedures for things like that.

@Seaofclouds Yes, I would – and have. I am rather well versed in pyrotechnics and the making and defusing of “stinks and bangs” as one of our instructors used to call them. But then, I was not the one “on site”, eh? I do wonder how many persons in hoodies were in the school that day…? All pointless as it is the punishment, as over reaction, which we discuss, is it not?

@throssog I was just curious because the reaction to his actions is part of what brought on the harsher charge against him. Since he hasn’t actually been punished yet, we can’t really judge that yet.

This society makes me fucking sick.

@Symbeline There seem to be a number of persons who agree with you. However, do remember: “Happyu, Happy, Joy, Joy” and try your best to see the bright side of such situations. :)

@throssog You can only see the bright side to so many things before you realize there really is not bright things lol.

@Blackberry Yes, I fear so. However, I have deleted my account and am gone – bye to all. :)

@throssog Is there any chance at all that this sentence may be lifted? This is gonna ruin this kid’s life.

@Symbeline @throssog left Fluther. From my understanding, the kid has only been charged with those crimes (disorderly conduct and institutional criminal mischief) at this point and not actually found guilty of either one yet, let alone sentenced yet. From the article, the Prosecutors say they don’t intend to seek a prison term at all. The whole 8 years in prison thing is because the charge of institutional criminal mischief carries a possibly prison term up to 8 years, not that he has actually be sentenced to that yet. There is a preliminary hearing in August and the trial in September (if it goes that far).

@Seaofclouds Aaah I didn’t even see this link lol. Thanks.

Totally unrelated, why did @throssog leave??

@sarahhhhh I’m not sure. I just saw him say that he was done with Fluther and leaving on another question.

How strange. He was pretty interesting.