Voices: Riverton teens

The Joplin Globe

August 21, 2006 01:57 pm

— I believe that the right charges have now been applied to the Riverton, Kan., boys.
It was just a group of boys mouthing off that got them into trouble. I don't believe that there was any intent on their violating the law. But I'm sure also that the judge might have some reservations.
However, the Cherokee County sheriff's office should follow up at their school on the seriousness of what has just happened. After all, they could have just as easily been sentenced to years in prison.
I have a great admiration and respect for those officers of the court who took a more common sense approach to these pranks of young boys. To these boys, I'm sure it was just an innocent thing. But it turned into a monster.
This just tells me and enforces the idea of alternative sentences for these kids. An alternative sentence would have taken care of this. This is not the only case of this type across these United States.
A judge has to trust when he pronounces a sentence such as this. A good program would study these kids in an isolated area, a farm maybe instead of probation at home, for awhile.
Then, you all could have felt safer when they were released.
Frank D. Woodruff
Monett