Why are student-on-student crimes in high schools (like assault) often prosecuted under school rules only, and not law?
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My mom worked at a “bad school” and they will absolutely prosecute. But. If you put a kid in prison at 13, the person is probably never, ever going to become a productive member of society. It’s been studied and kids going to jail is just basically no redemption, life of crime, issues for the rest of their lives. The recidivism rate in America is abysmal but for people who went in as minors it’s damn near 100%.
So if they’re going to prosecute a kid, it better be something good. For instance a kid at this school was fooling around and knocked a teacher down the stairs accidentally. He broke her hip. He was prosecuted for assault. They basically had to prosecute so she could have her medical bills paid (insurance. Yay America). Everyone lost and it sucked for everyone involved. She and the student wished anything that it could’ve been taken back but having your hip broken is $$$$.
They would much rather send the kid to special schools, have wraparounds, do anything to keep the kid out of the system. Jail is criminal school and if an impressionable teen goes there, they’ll end up fucked for life. Sometimes it can’t be helped. Sometimes the kids turn out to be rotten adults anyways. But, teachers on the whole really care about kids and don’t want to see a person’s entire future ruined because they screamed “I’ll stab you” in an adolescent rage.
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