What should the appropriate ‘punishment’ be?

Recently a 12 year old boy made seven emergency calls to several local emergency centres.  News articles here and here.

 A week ago, the calls led amongst other things to a fruitless search for a boat lost at sea, which cost nearly R100 000, including R20 000 for the use of the municipal helicopter.

The Vodacom Netcare 911 helicopter, 38 NSRI volunteers and 24 permanent NSRI members, as well as private and commercials boats took part in the bogus search.

The search was launched when a "hysterical" woman called to say that she and her husband were on a boat that was sinking about 4km from Infanta, near Witsand.

The calls were traced to the cellphone, which belongs to the boy.

There has been lots of debate on the radio about this.  People suggesting all sorts of punishment for the child. It is a very serious offense. Bogus calls to emergency services cost the country a lot of money (and we are not a very rich country), and could mean that someone else, who is in real distress, is not ‘rescued’ because the rescue services were all out attending to the bogus call.

 And yet …. He is 12 years old.  He was playing a prank. A stupid prank of course, but a prank.

 What should the appropriate punishment be? Should he be charged? Should he be fined (i.e. made to pay off the fine once he works one day)? Should he be punished in any other way? Should his parents be fined? Should we ‘punish’ the parents in any way?  Should we can punishing the parents at all?

 Or are we just getting ourselves worked up over nothing? Should we just let it go with a stern talking to?  Perhaps the negative attention and fright he has received in reaction to the whole incident been punishment enough.

 And would your opinion be any different if it was your child who did this?

 My opinion? I don’t think the parents should be punished.  I really don’t. I do however think that this boy must be made to feel the consequences of his actions in some way.

 My ‘punishment’ would be community service of some kind.  Perhaps in a way that will show him first hand just how much damage prank calls like this do, and what amazing, life-saving work the rescue services do on a daily basis.  I also think there should be some kind of long term punishment. A fine of some sorts. Nothing exorbitant, but something that he will have to pay off at a nominal rate for a few years.  Something that will remind him of the consequences of his actions for a while to come. And really, I don’t mean a lot of money. Just enough to think “damn, I wish I hadn’t done that”.

 What do you think?

Will see if I can do a poll of some sorts, maybe a revolving poll, covering two issues - whether the parents should be held accountable, and how harshly the child should be punished (always hard to know what all the possible options are!) You should see a different poll if you refresh the page. Or not. If not, then I have no idea how the bloody thing works. 

Comments

[Nicole]

I definitely think that the best punishment would be a very long period of community service. But I also think that parents are responsible for their children up to a certain age and that a fine should be given to them as a consequence for what their son did. I think that it shouldn't be enormous and they should be encouraged to pass the responsibility for paying it on to their son, but surely, if the boy can't be held entirely responsible due to his age, his parents need to answer for what he did?

[Carmen]

I agree that community service and a fine that he can pay over the years would be the best punishment.
But I also think that kids that age aren't really aware of how serious this is even with punishment.
We only really understand the true consequences of our actions when we become adults and have some life experience. That's why I think a long term fine is a good idea.

As for his parents, I feel sorry for them. How could they know what their child was doing? On the other hand, they are responsible for him. Maybe a discipline kind of workshop or counseling where they can go as a family? Do those even exist?

[e]

Happens an awful lot here, I;m afraid. I read recently about a woman whose car had been crashed into by some joyriders. When the firefighters arrived to cut the severely injured woman out of her car, they were pelted with stones by the lads who were responsible and their chums. You can guess that the firemen had other things to do than chase them down, and besides, child protection has reached such a ridiculously inappropriate level of refinement here that they might easily get into trouble for attempting to make such a citizen's arrest.

With regard to this boy- I think it would be entirely appropriate for him to be sentenced, at the age he is now, to do community service with a twist- the twist is that he has to shadow a crew from each of the services he spuriously called out for an entire weekend each. Possibly he should some kind of mentor present, who can explain what's happening and why. Maybe it will slowly dawn on him what the services are for, and what job they do.

[SCY]

Hmmm, tough one, my first reaction is to hold the parents responsible, as they need to be accountable for the teaching of responsibility and consequences of actions to their 12 year old child... BUT you cannot always know what your child is up to every second of the day - and kids can be naughty... On the other side of the coin, this child (who is broaching his teen years and should know better) needs to know the impact his actions have had on the community as a whole. I agree with the community service idea with each of the rescue services he called on so that he can see how much they do... It might also be a good idea for him to see real ppl in need so he can start rationalizing it in his own way...

[E]

I think he needs to be held responsible. I see no reason he couldn't do community service to work off the debt he caused. It would make him realize it was not just a joke.

[Ann]

I firmly believe that he shouldn't get away with it and do community service of sorts - perhaps with people who have been severely burnt in fires when firemen etc couldn't get to them in time. Tough one on the parents however I was really annoyed to read an article where the mother states that she is getting angry with people phoning her all the time and life must just move on!!!! Perhaps a lesson for her as well?

[sourpatchbaby]

First of all, why does a twelve year old need a cell phone? Am I the only one in the world that doesn't think children should have their own phones? Back to your point, He should be made to do paid community service with all the proceeds going to pay the city. When I was 14 I was in a summer work program where we actually got paid to be volunteers at a VA hospital. He should be made to start now, until at least age 24. And not just work one day a week, no sirree. Make him work hard for the money (have the number of hours/days be relative to his age). Parents should also be fined because they did not supervise their child enough. One prank call is one thing, but several? C'mon! you know that the kid was probly bragging to his friends about it. The parents should've known. Here in the States, you can actually sue a minor and have the judgement be extended until past their 18th birthday. A lawsuit would be nice....

[Laura(southernxy)]

I think the parents have to be held somewhat responsible. It was their decision to give him a cell phone (unless he got one somewhere else.) Either they have to be responsible, or we have to have a law that no one can give their 12-yr-old a cell phone, and we don't want that.

[Liv]

I might be a little more lenient if he had only done it once. But he did it 'several' times. He got an adreniline rush and liked it so he kept on going. It's so terrible to send a child to a facility so I would say LOTS of community service. And not just picking up trash along the highway or something, but rather like you said, dealing with the crime he committed.

I think here in the States that is a punishable offense, meaning jail time.

Secondly, a 12 year old with a cell phone. Before you know it, we'll be giving our kids cell phones before being discharged from the hospital after delivery.

[sweetisu]

First, I think he needs to pay for the cost that he caused. One prank is "shame on you" but SEVEN(!!) is "shame on me" if there is no severe punishment. 12 years old is not an adult yet, but not a baby who doesn't understand much either. I must disagree, he is fully aware of his actions I'm sure and he gets a kick out of it. Otherwise he wouldn't have done it so many times. He is one criminal in the making.

He should be put into all sorts of community work to pay off the debt, such as working with burn victims, chemo wards, elderly homes, what have you. He needs to be shown to other aspects of life that I don't think he is really "getting" it. He should be sent to juvenile prison or something.

signed,
Harsh Mommy

[Nicole]

Definitely the boy shouldn't have access to a cell phone for awhile. Then some form of community service that shows what a real emergency can be and how crucial a quick response time is.

[Paul Jacobson]

I agree that solid community service should be done. He should be made to volunteer to emergency services and help them out for about 50 years.

[Elizabeth]

I actually think that community service is not harsh enough. I think he should serve time in a young offenders facility. This is a very serious crime, and there need to be very serious consequences. A sea rescue is not a safe thing, he put all those resucers at risk, never mind what might have happened if someone else needed them. At 12, and this not being his first offense, he should have known better.

[Belen]

Am I the only one who thinks that this behavior is absolutely NOT normal in a 12 year old? Guys, this is not just a prank. When I was 12 years old my pranks were to ring at someone's door and run away. My friends' too. I don't think I ever met a 12 year old capable of pulling something like this. And how did he managed to do it convincingly? How cold minded he must be. I don't really have thoughts about the punishments. I have no idea what would be good enough. And I have no idea whether it is possible to teach this kid anything. There's a serious chance that this kid will become a horrible horrible adult, punishment or not.

[goodsandwich]

Geez. I can think of good reasons for a 12-year-old to have a cell phone: maybe his family chooses not to have a land line, or it's a way for 2 working parents to be quickly available to their kid. (And if he has had problems in the past, I would say hurrah to those parents trying to keep in touch with him as closely as possible.) No, of course I don't think the parents should be fined or jailed or sued (unless somehow they have some ridiculous history of neglect). It's impossible to be truly responsible for the actions of another person, even a child! Honestly I can't pretend to be wise enough to know *what* should happen here, but locking anybody up is not a good solution. A payable fine combined with community service is probably a good idea, although in the US those programs are usually set up just to kill time rather than to really teach. And for those who are angry that the child got an "adrenaline rush" making the calls -- well, at that age kids are often trying out grownup stuff, without access to real skills or actions. If this kid is exposed now to what really happens in rescue work, I wonder if the "punishment" will help him grow up into a person who really cares about others and maybe even helps them in life-threatening situations? Handled with sensitivity instead of only anger (though anger is justified), he could grow into a real gift to his community. Yes, there probably has to be a consequence that the child works to accomplish. But just like with toddlers, one way to help him avoid making this mistake again is to find out what underlying need was being served by making these calls. (Yes, he may not be fully conscious of what that need is. And obviously he chose a bad way to meet it! But there was a need nonetheless. A need to participate in the grown-up activities? Feeling like the "spotlight" is not on him now that he's a little older?) Helping him get that need met, while completely emphasizing the seriousness of this incident, will go far toward preventing related future incidents.

[goodsandwich]

Oh and P.S. -- I agree that this may be completely abnormal behavior. In that case, however, say if there were underlying mental illness, I don't see what good it does him (or his parents or even his community) to just write him off as "cold-minded" and assume he's going to be a "horrible" adult. Mental and emotional problems can be addressed! We would be compassionate if he were ill and much younger; if he is ill now, why not help him get well (and SOON!). Truly, there have been well-documented cases of children becoming violent and "horrible" due to hormone problems or tumor growth etc. Not saying he has these problems, but good grief, why not check these things out before just writing off someone else's child as a willful sociopath.

[ewe_are_here]

Well, my thoughts are he's 12 years old. And most 12 year olds these days would not only know that doing something like this is wrong wrong wrong, they also understand the media attention it would bring. He should be punished: he should have to do community service with a value slapped on to it until a certain amount of the debt tax payers incurred on his behalf is paid off.

As for the parents, harder call. The reality is, no one can 'supervise' their child 24/7. Especially a pre-teen. Anyone who thinks it's possible is seriously kidding themselves. And cell phones do serve an important purpose in a lot of families: it lets parents contact their kids whereever they are and plan logistics of family life (pick ups/drop offs, etc.) They can block cell phone use to certain phone numbers, though.

My question: For those leaning towards 'leniency' or treating it as a prank, would your opinion change if a rescuer had been seriously injured or died in the search and rescue efforts? And does someone have to die for it to be more than a prank?

[ewe_are_here]

P.S. to E at Purple Pen:

Although I'm an American, I'm currently living in the UK with my family. And I have to say, I have been frequently horrified by the number of incidents where youths attack firefighters who are called out to put out fires they set, injuries they cause, etc. At home, firefighters are treated like heros; I've never ever heard of this kind of behaviour. But here... I used to read about it practically weekly, especially up in Glasgow (when we were living in Edinburgh).

Very sad.

[Em]

I do like the idea of community service for the 12 year old but I also think someone needs to be responsible for the cost of the emergency services. The monetary costs, that is (though really, if someone had lost their life because emergency services were unable to respond to them, I wonder if a criminal charge would be applicable).

I can feel some sympathy for the parents as I can't say it would never happen to me and I hope they are embarrassed beyond words. You can't watch a 12 year old 24/7 but you also don't need to provide him with a cell phone. I would make it their responsibility to repay the city and they can take it upon themselves if they want to force their son to repay them at some point.

Thats my opinion.

[Alison S]

My older daughter's twelve, so I just asked my daughter what she thought. She says she thinks he's "a stupid arrogant prat" and that she'd be ashamed to know him, and that he should be fined and pay it back when he's older. So there you are, FWIW.

On another point, I just wonder if some of the commentators who're outraged at a 12 year old having a cell phone only have much younger children? My daughter goes to school on her own by train every day (we're in the UK), and she has a phone for the very good reason that I want her to be able to get in touch with me if something goes wrong. My younger daughter is 8, and I personally wouldn't dream of letting her have a phone yet - children grow up an enormous amount in those few years. Which is why I (and my daughter, presumably) think this boy's behaviour was so out of line - a 12 year old is quite old enough to have a personal sense of moral responsibility and to be able to distinguish fantasy from reality. Some 12 year olds are supporting their families in SA, aren't they?

[Spacemom]

Community service with a record that can be cleared if he stays out of trouble.

Part of his service should be helping those who do emergency services, so he can learn what those people really do. I would say lose the cell phone except for emergency cases, but that doesn't really help, does it?

The parents should not be punished. That's just stupid. What? You want to make the parents suffer because the kid did a prank? I don't know, that's just taking it a bit far.

I see no problem with a kid having a cell for emergencies...

[kathleen999]

This is a kid who needs some help. I agree that he needs to have consequences. Not knowing him, I am not sure what they should be, but I do think he needs punishment. Definitely community service as a start. And he needs some counseling. No kid does something like this without something really wrong. Maybe once, but seven times is a big cry for help. Or a big flag, whatever way you want to see it. But intervention is definitely needed.

My kids are little, but my sister's kids are all grown and not one ever did something even close to this destructive during their teen years. They did stupid things to themselves, but nothing this destructive to others.

[gullebarn]

My kids are 9. They have cell phones. They are in a lot of dance and theater productions where rehearsals finish at odd times and I need for them to have a way to call me when they are ready to be picked up. We also live in a rather remote area and they have horses they ride around our farm. The phones are for their safety. If they fall off, I need a way for them to contact me. Otherwise, if the horse comes home with no rider, I have no way of knowing where the kids are. This way I know instantly.

That said, this kid is clearly abusing his phone and it needs to be taken away and he needs to be punished for this abuse. Community services is an excellent way to accomplish this.

[DebbieS]

I think that what the parents should be held accountable for is absolutely guaranteeing that their son makes it to every second of his community service. As for the boy, his obvious need for an "adrenaline rush" could be satisfied with heavy-duty work somehow helping the kind of people he could have denied that kind of emergency help to. Afterwards, he could be ordered to talk about his experiences at various area schools. He's young enough to not only be properly punished, but to turn this into an eye-opening, possibly inspiring experience for him. Maybe a bored, thrill-seeking preteen could be turned into a risk-taking, fearless EMT or doctor.

Or maybe I'm all wet. I know I'm never letting my daughter have that much freedom cobined with free time on her hands!

[projgen]

First, he should have to do community service at a firestation or ambulance. Make him wash the ambulances, clean the floors, re-stock supplies (under supervision, of course!), all the while being able to hear the calls that come into the station, so he understands how many people *really* need their help.

Second, he should have to follow that with community service at a hospital or rehabilitation centre. He could be like a candy-striper (do they still have those?) in the ER, or help with non-hazardous cleanup or running errands for the docs & nurses.

Third, the parents should incur some sort of fine (sorry, they ARE responsible for their 12 yo child), which should then be passed on to the child. The parents and kid should work out some sort of re-payment plan, where 90% of his allowance goes to repaying his parents. Or they split the fine. Or something similar. I don't think the parents should bear the entire costs of the kid's "prank" but unless they can prove that their kid has been acting out for years and they have done everything possible to correct his behaviour, I believe parents are responsible. If my non-existant kid broke another kid's nose, I'd have to pay the hospital costs. If I broke another kid's nose, and my parents had to pay the hospital costs, they would have made me pay it back, either in money or work around the house or something.