Young first-time offenders deserve a second chance

By Tracy Jones

This is in response to the recent op-ed article, "Boot camp would be best for young offenders," by Steve Buhs of the Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston, Mo.

It really concerns me about first-time offenders, and I do mean first-time offenders. Here is a portion of my thoughts and my story:

I am the mother of a first-time young offender. My son made the mistake of being with the wrong people at the wrong time. He has never been in trouble before for anything, and it is unknown if he committed a crime or not. I was not there, and I do not know what happened. I am not saying he is guilty or innocent. I have to go with what was on a report and not what he says. It does not matter what he says, it all depends on what is on a piece of paper.

But I do know that what is on that piece of paper has nothing to do with his mother or father using or selling drugs. We both work a 40-hour-a-week jobs and always have. He has two parents in his life, so no one can say that the fault is with the parenting, which some will say. He is loved, taken care of and not from any type of broken-home scenario.

He graduated from high school, and the following summer he got into trouble. I took the time to try to get him registered for the military, which was all set up. Instead of sending him on for the training and education he could have gotten, he was sent to jail. I think the military would have been better for him than a building with concrete floors and bars. Would the military not have been harder on him than sitting locked up all day?

I made the suggestion that young first-time offenders should not be sent to jail. What good does it do to put them behind bars with violent repeat offenders to be mistreated, violated and abused in more ways than one? This just makes a young person want to retaliate.

Why not give first-time offenders a second chance at life and in society? They are still in the learning process of life.

Now my son cannot get a decent job -- not because he will not work, but because he has a record. So now that he cannot find a job, what happens? One of two things: The court system will come after him for not paying his fines and he will go back to jail, or he will get frustrated with the system and choose to sell drugs just to have money to pay the fines.

Yes, as a parent I can pass the money on to him to pay his fines, but am I teaching him anything? I am keeping him out of trouble, but he still has the issue of not being able to pay me back or working to better himself in society. I love my children and will continue to help as much as I can, but I may not be around the rest of his life, and then what?

I feel there are too many double standards, and I would like to know when they will stop. Help these non-violent first-time young offenders and give them a chance to learn a lesson, don't just throw them back into cruel society and expect them to make it. A person would be surprised at how many would come out with a new light on life. Not all of them would, but isn't one better than none? They deserve the chance of someone helping them learn to help themselves.

Everyone in the system needs to take the time to sit back to think of his own past. Somewhere along the line, everyone has a fault of some sort. If no one were ever given that second chance, the world would be one giant prison. Some of the best people in society have been known to start life the wrong way. The system needs to stop judging young people by color, race and family backgrounds and judge them as individuals. Give them the respect they deserve. To get respect you have to give respect.

Can society honestly say it is giving these young people respect? Can you please give some guidance as a parent on this issue?

Tracy Jones lives in Sikeston, Mo.