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Be Careful Tonight

Discussion in 'Broadlands Community Issues' started by Genco, Apr 3, 2011.

  1. Genco

    Genco Active Member

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    With school out tomorrow teenagers are already at it. Two of them just tried to get into the garage of our neighbor who left his garage door open. I yelled at them and they made a bee line to the car where the other teenager had the car running. Please close your garage doors and if your cars are outside lock them.
     
  2. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    When people report this type of activity it would be helpful if you listed the street.
     
  3. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Genco- Kudos to you for preventing another potential robbery!! This is exactly a great example of having a neighborhood watch!

    What I don't get is why do many states make it so easy for the juvies to commit crimes over and over again? From what I understand many of these kids "juvie" records are either expunged or sealed when they turn 18? Shouldn't the colleges or businesses have a right to know if the kid is known for committing crimes just like those that are over 18? I think the records should be available for employers and schools to look at -- these kids should have their future opportunities limited due to their criminal activities! Hit them where it hurts...they need to really learn that their activities have a REAL consequence. Many times these "teens" just get a slap on the hand, IMHO.
     
  4. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    IMHO, you're solution is short-sighted and harsh.
    Example:
    Last year, Broadlands caught a few teens who were vandalizing property with graffiti. They were minors. There was a meeting between the LCSO person who handles youths, the kids and their parents, and members of the HOA Board. The officer did a great job of explaining the potential consequences of their actions, what it could mean to their future, and the opportunity they were being given by restitution and community service.

    Flash forward a year. I was at a restaurant and was approached by a waitress. She re-introduced herself as the mother of one of the offenders. She showed me a children's book that her son, now attending art school, had illustrated for a local author.

    It appears he has outgrown the errors of his ways and is putting his skills to good use.
    What would have been accomplished if, instead, his "record" was used to keep him out of art school?
    Maybe he would still be vandalizing our community.
     
  5. mamatothree

    mamatothree New Member

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    That's good news Cliff...they were two really nice kids who did something stupid...
     
  6. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Glad to hear that some of the kids were able to turn around their lives for the better. Aside from that, did the offenders pay restitution for the damage? I would believe so.

    As someone who knows of several law enforcement folks personally in Fairfax County, they have come across alot of kids who commit crime after crime even after he's tried "intervention" with them. Some come from broken homes, etc. and have shown no signs of abating their criminal activities.

    However, TO BE FAIR HERE, there are also a lot of OTHER kids who've managed to turn around their lives for the better and do go onto greater things. What I am saying here is that if the kids turn around their lives for the better, the state ought to expunge their records...but for others that have no desire to turn around their lives and go on to keep on committing crimes, I say their records should stay where it is and not be expunged.

    Just a thought of mine and I know and understand some may not agree with me on this.
     
  7. Mike-and-Kim

    Mike-and-Kim Member

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    Likewise the make of car if known.
     
  8. marielaveau

    marielaveau Voodoo Queen

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    Having raised a daughter who came from a "broken home" from age 1, I find your statement rather inflammatory and reeking of bias. My daughter has a very high GPA, and SAT scores and is attending college in the fall. She is active in after school activities and everyone who meets her speaks praises.

    When she was growing up, I dealt with many of the other moms not wanting to have anything to do with us because she "was from a broken home" and I was a (GASP) "SINGLE MOTHER!!!" (clutch your pearls everyone). Well my kid has done very well thank you very much and so have I.

    Just because it was not a "traditional" home, don't go judging people.
     
  9. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    First of all, NOT all kids from broken homes do crime but that is WHAT a fraternity brother of mine who is a law enforcement officer told me when I lived in Fairfax County...In fact, he said that a lot of juvie delinquents he dealt with came from broken homes... Im just stating what Im being informed on by him...Come to think of it...he remarked that ALOT of the juvenile delinquents he's dealt with came from homes that had problems...Im not speaking for myself but rather imparting what I've been told. I realize this is going to strike a nerve and not sit well with some people but I do know this from what Im told and Im just passing along what I've learned.

    Speaking of juvie detention centers...I just got back from Leesburg Government Center tonight (Loudoun County Board of Supervisors meeting) where LOTS of families from one development area (I believe Kincaid Forest was the subdivision) voiced vehemently against having a juvenile detention center being located behind their neighborhood because they said they didn't trust the kids that were going to be housed in the center and didn't want to let their kids run free around them because of the fact that they were afraid that their kids would be influenced by these "juvenile delinquents"... I was thrown for a loop by the sentiments from these homeowners. I was surprised because some of those kids may have parents that live in that neighborhood but again I do understand both sides of the coin (Why the county wants to build there and why the homeowners do not want the county to build there.)

    I commend your daughter exceling in many different areas and I believe its because you factored heavily in raising her and nurturing her. Sadly, this is not always the case in every single "broken" home everywhere. What I've been told is that "statistically-wise", many criminals are more likely to come from "broken" homes.

    Again, I know that my comments aren't going to sit well with everyone but I believe that if the child's parent or parents are fully involved with the child, he/she has a MUCH higher probability of being successful in her/his life endeavors.

    To back up my assertions here, I have included an excerpt from a website here and included the link so you can see that this was from several studies/research. Sadly, there are MANY websites that have repeated this factoid.

    Seven of the eight studies that used nationally representative data, for example, found that children in single-parent or other non-intact family structures were at greater risk of committing criminal or delinquent acts.
    Weblink: http://www.divorcereform.org/crime.html

    I could post MORE here but I think one excerpt is enough to demonstrate what I've discovered online as well as what I've been told by my law enforcement fraternity brother. After researching this topic in the past, I am very likely to believe him--after all, he's worked with many of these kids in Juvenile delinquency cases.
     
  10. marielaveau

    marielaveau Voodoo Queen

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    So that you cannot throw your "Fairfax County Police" friends in my face, my daughters' father is a Fairfax County police Lieutenant, 23 years. AND I have a great relationship with him and his wife. I think that trumps your frat bro. So save it for the less informed.

    You also have way too much time on your hands. Maybe it's time to get out of the basement and join the living. You also clearly have a problem with teenagers. Therapy? Because your little dumplings are going to be "those kids" someday too.

    Just quit picking. You need another hobby.
     
  11. Mr. Linux

    Mr. Linux Senior Member & Moderator Forum Staff

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    Wow, could you have picked a more biased, one-sided website??? Sheesh, and you gotta love that website design; retro-1999 look and feel.... wow.
     
  12. Winston

    Winston Junior Mint

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    :bow::bow::bow:

    marielaveau, you have put it much more eloquently than I could. Thank you.
     
  13. marielaveau

    marielaveau Voodoo Queen

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    My pleasure my friend :)
     
  14. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Like I said before and I'll say it again, No matter what the evidence shows, there are some people who are going to disagree or dislike what I have posted. Secondly, like I did say before, I could have posted MORE *RECENT* websites that will show the SAME results/evidence. No matter what, someone is always going to be disgruntled but I did commend the woman for raising her daughter the right way and she should be proud of that comment.

    To boot, my own mother not too long ago retired as a Fairfax County Social Worker so I did also talk to her about juvenile delinquents so since she works even closer with them, I guess that could trump anything else? Did I need to throw that in there in my original posting? No, I didn't want to put in a fact about my own relative working closely with juvenile delinquents as well because I didn't think it was necessary to throw that in anyone's face.

    Like I said before, the facts ain't pretty but not everyone is going to like it. It all depends on how the kids are raised and whether they have a very supportive parent(s). Again, I stand by the information I've been given and found on the internet as well.

    The comment about me being in the basement made me laugh. Thanks for making me laugh on a rainy day!

    @ Mr. Linx-If a more "updated and fancy-schmancy" website is what you are looking for, feel free to go look up on the internet. I don't have time to scrounge around to find a more "prettied-up" website for y'all. Im not going to post 50 or so websites that support my case that have "prettied-up" websites for your viewing pleasure.
     
  15. fidothedog

    fidothedog Member

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    I actually agree with Capricorn.

    I grew up in a screwed up family (one parent and abandoned for two years - four kids alone in an apartment with no power or water) and we did all sorts of very bad things (drugs, stealing, destruction of property, etc.). In fact almost all of my childhood friends are behind bars.

    There is a significant amount of information supporting what Capricorn is trying to say.

    Without a doubt, there are great examples in this community of where this is not true.

    I truly belive that if my father would have been more involved with our family then we would not have been in the trouble that we were.

    The Cato institute has stated that " Nearly 70 percent of juveniles in state reform institutions come from fatherless homes, as do 43 percent of prison inmates. Research indicates a direct correlation between crime rates and the number of single-parent families in a neighborhood."

    The root cause of problems with children are parents that truly do not take the time or make the real effort to understand their children and what they are facing OR parents who want to be friends with their children and let them do things that they should not.

    There are plenty of examples where a single parent wants to do everything right but they cannot be there the majority of the day since they have to work. It is at those points when the child is alone or with friends where the strong morale and social values that you try to instill in your children will take over - hopefully.

    I have 5 children, 4 of which are teenagers in middle or high school. My wife is a homemaker and we are extremely active with our children. Knock on wood but we have had zero problems with our children.

    This being said there is only so much that we can do when there are so many others out there who do not take the time and interest that we do with our children OR the situations where parents are empowering their children to do bad things.

    For instance, a friend of my son's (10th grade) had a party at her parents house in Broadlands a few weeks back. It was an ABC party. For those of you who do not know, ABC means "Anything but Clothes". The girls were all dressed in police tape only and the boys wore depends. For those of you thinking dressing in police tape isn't so bad - note that they were not mummies but single strips of police tape. The party also had the other ABC requirement. No beer just high grade alcohol. There are plenty of pictures on facebook of the party and what occurred. My son went to the party and immediately left when he saw what was going on. This occurred in someone's house with parents at home.

    My point is that you have to be there for them, communicate with them and be a parent to them. I am not my children's friend. I am their parent.
     
  16. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Believe me, my heart goes out to the kids who come from broken homes and end up in juvenile centers. While in college, I did volunteer to mentor some of them with their studies and I could tell they were craving the positive attention and encouragement. It led me to think that they weren't getting enough at home. It really tore my heart to see them hurting....

    'nuff said.
     
  17. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    Capricorn-
    Going back to your original solution in your first post...
    "I think the records should be available for employers and schools to look at -- these kids should have their future opportunities limited due to their criminal activities! Hit them where it hurts..."

    is extreme and would do more damage than good to most kids. It also doesn't match at all your sentiment in your last post.

    'nuff said.
     
  18. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Vacliff- Let me clarify that statement then for you to clear it up....How else is society gonna know if someone HABITUALLY commits crime over and over without any REAL change? Like I said earlier--if a kid cleans up his act and gets himself together, then EXPUNGE his records BUT if the kid steadfastly refuses to clean himself up and doesn't turn away from crime, then let him get stuck with the criminal records...

    In short, I have the heart for kids who genuinely regret what they have done and want to change. I believe in giving kids second chance but if they habitually commit crime, then my sympathies for them disappear. Make better sense to you than what I said earlier? Hope that clears up any confusion for you-
     
  19. Brassy

    Brassy Hiyah

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    Well even with love and support, some kids come out of the chute not wired right. Then we end up with things such as the woman who brutally killed the other worker at Lulu Mon, just because the (killed woman) reported to the store owner that she "thought" she saw some of the stores clothing in the other women's bag.
    Turns out friends, and college mates had abandonded her because she habitually stole from them.

    So, Yeah, we know the facts on the fatherless kids, mostly black boys that end up in prison. Such a Terribly Sad, Sad thing. We have many stories of single mom's successfully bringing up more than even one kid, though she had to work to the bone without much help. And we also have parents who still do the work together to love their kids, after divorce.

    Around, here, I'd say it would more than likely be from kids who are bored, have too much time on their hands and the parents are too busy in their worklife or with their spouse to deal much with the kid other than giving them whatever they want to quiet them down or solve an argument.

    Almost all of us have down something as we grew up that temporarily lost our parents trust in us. That can usually sting harshly enough to keep you in line. So expunging is what should be done for doing stupid stuff that doesn't harm society at large.
     
  20. Capricorn1964

    Capricorn1964 Well-Known Member

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    Yes, I would think the last sentence really makes GOOD sense here.

    Come to think of it, your posting just jogged my memory about a friend of my mother who was raped AND murdered by a 17 yr old kid (yes, a kid) in Kansas ...of course, he got sentenced to Juvie hall until he was 21 and was released afterwards. Of course, his record was "expunged" because he was "UNDERage." Underage, my #^@ -- He knew that taking a life was WRONG and yet did it. Got out after he was 21 AND his record was expunged? If he moved to another state, no one would know he had committed a murder because the paper didn't name his name because he was a minor. Who knows if he committed any more crime after he got out after 21....Sad case is all I can say.

    Lastly, race shouldn't really be the case here because criminals of all races can get into trouble leading them to jail. I've seen documentaries on TV and a lot of them are black, white, hispanics (think MS-13), and others. SO race really shouldn't play a role here, IMHO.
     

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