Kill two people? Get probation in Texas.

[Forever_frost]

Okay...same story but it is your kid facing the jury. Does your thoughts still remain the same? Maybe you don't have children and that's why you feel the way you do. I for one know people that have been on both ends of this nightmare. It sucks no doubt about it but I can't see throwing the book at a kid who hasn't even started life as an adult unless the kid is a habitual problem.

This is not what's wrong with kids today either.....the parents or lack there of is what's wrong with them.

Right. We should have pity on the kid who got drunk and took the life of another. Fuck him. Put him under the jail. If my son did it, I'd cry and it'd bother me but I'd be the first saying "Put him away."

[GrayStangGT]

Okay...same story but it is your kid facing the jury. Does your thoughts still remain the same? Maybe you don't have children and that's why you feel the way you do. I for one know people that have been on both ends of this nightmare. It sucks no doubt about it but I can't see throwing the book at a kid who hasn't even started life as an adult unless the kid is a habitual problem.

This is not what's wrong with kids today either.....the parents or lack there of is what's wrong with them.

I can somewhat understand not throwing the book at someone with a previously clean record, however probation is ridiculous. Minimum of 20 years in prison.

[ToRqUeTwIsTeR]

You know what....y'all are right. If and when your kid kills somebody due to peer pressure or just making a bad decision all together I hope one of the victims family members comes and murders your child in cold blood so he won't have to live with the thought. Maybe then you will say well that sucked but he deserved it. I highly doubt it.

[Forever_frost]

You know what....y'all are right. If and when your kid kills somebody due to peer pressure or just making a bad decision all together I hope one of the victims family members comes and murders your child in cold blood so he won't have to live with the thought. Maybe then you will say well that sucked but he deserved it. I highly doubt it.

If my kid kill someone, he took someone's kid from them, took someone's sibling, grandkid and destroyed an entire future. If that was because of drinking and driving? Put them under the jail. They made a decision to get lit and get behind the wheel of a weapon. Sucks that there's a price with the choice he made but that's part of life. No different than if he loaded a 357 and shot the kids. He made a decision to drink. He made a decision to drive and that decision carries a consequence.

You can get ass hurt about it all you like but even Newton understood that. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Drinking and driving = possibility of killing someone or yourself.

[ToRqUeTwIsTeR]

My wife's uncle was riding his motorcycle one summer evening and was killed by a drunk teenager on his prom night. My wife's Aunt and cousin was trailing him in a separate vehicle and watched the whole thing unfold. Did they scream killer and want the kid to rot in jail? No....they forgave him and joined him in helping teach other impressionable adolescents not to make the same mistake. Bottom line is it starts with the parents. You teach them life skills and hope they make good decisions. Had that kid spent 20 years in jail and got out at the age of 38 how do you think he would fit in society? Do you think he would have learned his lesson and would have gone on living life to the fullest? Hell no...he spent 2 decades locked up with criminals and at the age of 38 wouldn't be able to get a respectable job in a society that has dramatically changed. On top of that he would have to live with the fact that he took another persons life and ruined his. Guess what....you paid for him to be incarcerated and your taxes will still be paying for him as a free loading more than likely unstable being.

[Unicorn Jeff]

My wife's uncle was riding his motorcycle one summer evening and was killed by a drunk teenager on his prom night. My wife's Aunt and cousin was trailing him in a separate vehicle and watched the whole thing unfold. Did they scream killer and want the kid to rot in jail? No....they forgave him and joined him in helping teach other impressionable adolescents not to make the same mistake. Bottom line is it starts with the parents. You teach them life skills and hope they make good decisions. Had that kid spent 20 years in jail and got out at the age of 38 how do you think he would fit in society? Do you think he would have learned his lesson and would have gone on living life to the fullest? Hell no...he spent 2 decades locked up with criminals and at the age of 38 wouldn't be able to get a respectable job in a society that has dramatically changed. On top of that he would have to live with the fact that he took another persons life and ruined his. Guess what....you paid for him to be incarcerated and your taxes will still be paying for him as a free loading more than likely unstable being.

Damn, I will have to agree with this.

[Forever_frost]

My wife's uncle was riding his motorcycle one summer evening and was killed by a drunk teenager on his prom night. My wife's Aunt and cousin was trailing him in a separate vehicle and watched the whole thing unfold. Did they scream killer and want the kid to rot in jail? No....they forgave him and joined him in helping teach other impressionable adolescents not to make the same mistake. Bottom line is it starts with the parents. You teach them life skills and hope they make good decisions. Had that kid spent 20 years in jail and got out at the age of 38 how do you think he would fit in society? Do you think he would have learned his lesson and would have gone on living life to the fullest? Hell no...he spent 2 decades locked up with criminals and at the age of 38 wouldn't be able to get a respectable job in a society that has dramatically changed. On top of that he would have to live with the fact that he took another persons life and ruined his. Guess what....you paid for him to be incarcerated and your taxes will still be paying for him as a free loading more than likely unstable being.

Right. And you don't see the problem with someone who engaged in an activity that cost the life of another getting probation? Talking to others? Really? "don't do what I did or you have to talk to schools about doing it."

My idea on handling that is the kid now owes a debt to the family. No jail. 50% of what he earns for the rest of his life goes to the family to take care of what that kid would have made and he owes them other services as they see fit. Would add responsibility and actually teach a lesson.

[ToRqUeTwIsTeR]

I am not butt hurt....this is merely my opinion on the matter.

[ToRqUeTwIsTeR]

I do see the problem with it.....but I don't think ruining another life is the answer. The punishment is living with the fact that you took another persons life. For a normal person that is hard to cope with.

[juiceweezl]

Okay...same story but it is your kid facing the jury. Does your thoughts still remain the same? Maybe you don't have children and that's why you feel the way you do. I for one know people that have been on both ends of this nightmare. It sucks no doubt about it but I can't see throwing the book at a kid who hasn't even started life as an adult unless the kid is a habitual problem.

This is not what's wrong with kids today either.....the parents or lack there of is what's wrong with them.

If my kid does something stupid like this and kills someone, then I've failed as a parent. I do have two kids, and this is how I feel. Do my kids and I do everything perfectly? No, but we try. We also think long and hard about what we do when it impacts someone else. I may be old fashioned, but I learned responsibility at an early age. Perhaps if someone had held this kid accountable, he wouldn't be in this mess and two people would still be alive.

Would you say the same thing if the kid put on a ski mask, walked into a bank, shot two people point blank and then stole $20K? What if he were in a gang and did a drive by shooting? Guess what? They all show bad judgment by a kid, maybe one with no priors and "hasn't even started life as an adult."

If that kid were remorseful, he would have admitted exactly what he did and laid himself before the jury by disclosing everything and admitting he was drunk. Maybe, maybe then I'd have some pity on him. He'd still go to jail though. Killing 2 people while drunk driving is a lot different than shoplifting some CD's for the record store. God have mercy on his soul, but he needs to pay.

[ToRqUeTwIsTeR]

I highly doubt the percentage of kids that have no priors would be holding up a bank or be involved in a gang. You can throw that argument out of the window. I agree that if his parents held him accountable he probably would have made a better decision and this wouldn't be a discussion. Again...you are trying to argue while agreeing with my exceptions.

[Forever_frost]

I highly doubt the percentage of kids that have no priors would be holding up a bank or be involved in a gang. You can throw that argument out of the window. I agree that if his parents held him accountable he probably would have made a better decision and this wouldn't be a discussion. Again...you are trying to argue while agreeing with my exceptions.

Or you know, drinking and driving and killing two people

[ToRqUeTwIsTeR]

Yep...there is always that.

[03trubluGT]

My wife's uncle was riding his motorcycle one summer evening and was killed by a drunk teenager on his prom night. My wife's Aunt and cousin was trailing him in a separate vehicle and watched the whole thing unfold. Did they scream killer and want the kid to rot in jail? No....they forgave him and joined him in helping teach other impressionable adolescents not to make the same mistake. Bottom line is it starts with the parents. You teach them life skills and hope they make good decisions. Had that kid spent 20 years in jail and got out at the age of 38 how do you think he would fit in society? Do you think he would have learned his lesson and would have gone on living life to the fullest? Hell no...he spent 2 decades locked up with criminals and at the age of 38 wouldn't be able to get a respectable job in a society that has dramatically changed. On top of that he would have to live with the fact that he took another persons life and ruined his. Guess what....you paid for him to be incarcerated and your taxes will still be paying for him as a free loading more than likely unstable being.

And the blame lies only on the person who made that decision to drink and drive.

Drink and drive/pay the consequences. He ruined his own life when he killed another.

I have no pity for that person. He still has his life.

[ceyko]

You know what....y'all are right. If and when your kid kills somebody due to peer pressure or just making a bad decision all together I hope one of the victims family members comes and murders your child in cold blood so he won't have to live with the thought. Maybe then you will say well that sucked but he deserved it. I highly doubt it.

Don't throw that "it'll be different when your kid does it..." bull crap. I've been having family in and out of prison for years over DUIs (never killed anyone, thank God) and I fully aware that my kids may end up in trouble in 18-20 years. Hell, in 18-20 years I'm sure the punishments will be that much more severe.

People should never base their punishment levels off -if it is their kids- or -if it is them-. If one of my kids killed 1 or more people while driving drunk, I would never assume probation. My wife and I would be heartbroken for the family of the people killed and our child in prison. However, we can't expect or even WANT special circumstances cause now it is "Our perfect little angel."

God I hope and pray that never happens. It IS a terrible thing to go through, I do not doubt that and good/bad parents sometimes makes no difference.