American woman sentenced to 2 years for allowing minors to dink alcohol???

@axter69 (379)
June 20, 2007 11:04am CST
I am struggling with this one a bit, I appreciate that in U.S.A you must be 21 to drink and these lads where 16 so well under the legal limit but they had 3 cases of beers between 30 lads, not sure how many are in a case I was working on the assumption of 24 beers in a case so each person could have 3 beers? I believe the judge said "this was just crying out for someone to get killed" Bit Over the top is it not? As I understand it the car keys was taken from the youngsters to avoid any drink driving so I fail to see where the possibilty of death has come from. any vies on this ?
6 people like this
6 responses
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
21 Jun 07
I dont think its over the top at all..not only did she break the law by allowing 30 MINORS to drink BUT she was also promoting underage drinking, being irresponsible and illegal activities...We're talking about 30 KIDS not just one or two! that makes it totally different....not to mention the fact that I'm quite sure the 30-60 parents of these kids arent too thrilled..
1 person likes this
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
21 Jun 07
"calling 16 year olds kids " not at all..they ARE just kids..Hell my 17 yr old nieces and my 18 yr old nephew are still "kids" to me..there isnt anything bizarre about it...I'm from Canada where the drinkin age is 19 and even if it were to happen over there I still thing 2 yrs is fair...They are MINORS aka KIDS and providing them with and allowing them to drink is wrong and illegal hands down
1 person likes this
@axter69 (379)
21 Jun 07
do you not think calling 16 year olds kids a bit bizzare as well, yes they are minors, but in USA you can drive a car when you are 16.... Kids dont drive do young adults do. I am sorry but I just find it a bit all over the place, some things amrica is very lax on and other it enforces to the strongest possible point. as I say with me being British and the culture I am brought up in I just find it way O.T.T
1 person likes this
@wmaharper (2316)
• United States
22 Jun 07
axter, I don't mean this as offensive, or degrading or mean spriited whatsoever, so please, please do not take offense. I think that you must not have children. Because your whole point of view changes when you hold that baby in your arms. You are thinking of 16 year olds, as you buddies, we are thinking of them as our babies, so it's a bit different. I think when you are blessed with a child (if you ever are, and for your sake I hope so, it's the most wonderful thing) You might find yourself feeling different about this.
@mrsbrian (1949)
• United States
20 Jun 07
well as your headline states, she was jailed for allowing underaged children to drink. What made it right for her to allow this,wether she took there car keys or not, she did wrong for allowing it to happen, no matter how many they had, It is illegal. I know kids will be kids and they can optain it from a lot of scorces but if you allow it in your pressence than you are guilty.
1 person likes this
@axter69 (379)
20 Jun 07
No I take the point that it was wrong but 2 years? I presum she had a kid who was 16 and thats what the party was for, so who is looking after him now? the other point is the 2yrs is a reduced sentence the originall was going to be 8. I am not a judge but surley a fine and comunity work would have been more apropriate. I mean paris hilton gets 30 days for repetead offensise including drink driving, where is the justice there?
1 person likes this
@mrsbrian (1949)
• United States
20 Jun 07
What paris did she did to herself,What an iconsiderate mother to have a 16 year old son and even think about allowing a party and serving alochol. The trouble with things today are that the penitlies are not stiff enough, thats why so many people comit crimes because they know they will only get a slap on the hand, no big deal, .I think we need tuffer judges as this one was and make people accountable for there actions.
1 person likes this
@axter69 (379)
20 Jun 07
and if paris had knocked someone over? it is still drink driving among other offensise. what the judge did was try to make an expamle out of this mother but I still can't help but think it is well over the top.
1 person likes this
@pumpkinjam (8539)
• United Kingdom
20 Jun 07
I can see where you are coming from on this. I think it is a bit over the top. I mean, the woman allowed minors to drink so obviously she has done something wrong but I don't see how it can be serious enough to warrant 2 years in prison.
1 person likes this
@magikrose (5429)
• United States
20 Jun 07
The problem is that when people drink there judgement is impaired and even if they are walking down the street they could do or say the wrong thing to the rong person and end up getting into a fight and end up in the hospital. I dont think that judge went over the top at all. He was just stating the worst that could happen to put a little fear into the mothers mind.
1 person likes this
@castleghost (1304)
• United States
21 Jun 07
Well if I understand the law correctly she should have been charged with thirty counts of contributing to the deliquency of a minor. Which means that her penalty will be stricter then what someone would recieve for just one minor. This lady should have consider the consenquences of her actions before she decided to have a party. She isn't above the law any more then any one else.
1 person likes this
• United States
20 Jun 07
I agree with the judge's decision. If it had been my son, I would be livid. But we also need to remember she most likely will never serve the full two years. She will get time for good behavior, consideration of overcrowded jails, etc., and probably end up actually serving only a few months.
1 person likes this
• Canada
20 Jun 07
The question here is about parental responsibility. Ultimately, the adults are responsible for the minors and so anything the minors do, the adults are responsible for.