December 08, 2007

WA: why Grant County public defenders treat youthful offenders as clients

Michael E. Haas, a Grant County public defense attorney, writes in response to this bit of nonsense from the Columbia Basin Herald:

Guest Editorial: Defender responds to comments on juvenile crime

"The best thing we can do is put the fear of God (in kids)," said Grant County Prosecutor John Knodell. I disagree John. The best thing we can do is love our children, nurture them, teach them right from wrong, teach them to be kind, teach them boundaries, teach them to be respectful of others and themselves. That's what I want for my children and it's what I want for my neighbors' children. Should I want anything less for a child that commits a crime?

Big A & C respect goes out to Ephrata / Soap Lake / Moses Lake juvenile public defenders Sean Devlin and Brandon Redal.

1 Comment:

Liz Ditz said...

Yes, a big shout-out to those.

I'm sick of the empty, moralistic posturing that gets folks elected, but doesn't solve any problem--and perhaps worsens some.

A&C-- what is your take on:

Restorative Justice (especially for juvenile offenders)

Bill Milliken's Communities in Schools