The US has criminalized poverty. We're even jailing poor honors students.

[shcrane71]

http://www.alternet.org/story/155747/what_does_it_say_about_america_that_we_jail_teens_for_having_sex_or_being_late_to_school_/

Last week, the country was riveted by the story of young Diane Tran, a high school junior age 17, who was tossed in jail for a night because she was missing too much school.

The reason her case attracted so much attention? Tran missed those days of school--or arrived late--due to exhaustion. She worked two jobs to help support her siblings. Her parents had split and moved out of town. She became, in essence, a poster-girl for both the recession and for the criminalization of youth. Even those local newscasters expected to be dispassionate were moved to say their "hearts went out" to this girl.

[dkf]

1. This is a ridiculous characterization.

This is about punishing a child for being abandoned not the recession unless you want to accuse the parents of criminally irresponsible behavior due to the bad economy.

The judge is punishing the wrong people.

[shcrane71]

2. What are you reading? There's nothing in the OP about the recession.

I have no idea where you're coming from.

[dkf]

3. Well criminalizing poverty then.

Poverty did not cause her problems. Child abandonment did.

[shcrane71]

6. So her lack of resources didn't cause any issues? I have a hard time believing that.

[cali]

4. there were several threads about this when it came out last week

reprehensible of the judge but your op implies that this is happened more than once. hardly a widespread phenomenon. Furthermore, the school deserves as much scorn as the judge- oh and she wasn't jailed for poverty.

[shcrane71]

5. I don't know many wealthy students missing school because of their work schedules.

I'm sure she just works because it's fun, like playing soccer.

[coalition_unwilling]

7. She works because it 'builds character' or (insert morally

uplifting bromide here)

in case it's needed.

[Egalitarian Thug]

8. More embarrassing replies to this. K&R It's well worth repeating this. n/t

[shcrane71]

9. I was amazed by the replies too.

After I picked by jaw up from the floor, I had to share the replies with friends to ensure that my reaction wasn't an outlier. Nope. In my socio-economic circles, we're simply astounded.