Stop Me If I'm Borun

The debate regarding juvenile (mis)behaviour continues to rage.

Whether it is due to parental negligence, political indifference or societal permissiveness, young people seem to feel they are above the law and their perceived rights supersede or abrogate any and all limitations on their actions and protect them from their (sic) consequences.

Maybe it's time for our pollies and police to bight the bullet and take some relevant action, such as:

• impose and enforce a curfew on juveniles;
• focus policing on criminals and criminal behaviour instead of on revenue raising;
• arrest and charge as adults juveniles who commit serious crimes, and
• incarcerate juveniles convicted of serious crimes in adult prisons.

Also, it may be time to review, simplify and clarify the relevant legislation so that crimes are crimes irrespective of the offender's age and circumstances, and the punishment is just that: punishment through the depravation of the benefits and accoutrements of society, as well as the reparation through labour for the losses both tangible and intangible resulting from those crimes.

It is time to make a stand against anarchy and take a seriously hard line.