Mom in jail for serving 16 year olds beer by max stirner [Subscribe]
Wed Jun 13, 2007 at 10:40:03 AM PDT
The BBC has the story here. And she is not just serving a few days, she is in two and half years, appreciably more than if she had risked life and limb driving drunk.
Whenever there is a health problem, the political instinct is always to ban something or require something. Upset about head injuries--make helmet wearing manditory! Don't want your kids to grow up pot heads, send drug dealers to jail for life. Don't like problem drinking--send parents to jail who serve their kids booze (and keep the drinking age at 21).
THe whole approach is wrong headed. As anyone who is or has been in college knows, under 21 year olds DO DRINK, and in massive quantities. Binge drinking is more of a problem now than it was when the drinking age was changed (this is just a sense I have, I would be happy to hear empirical evidence one way or the other).
This is not a well written diary, but I am appalled at what happened to this woman (it reminds me of the recently diaried oral sex case). I wonder if others feel likewise.
It has been pointed out, correctly, that this mom also served alcohol to other kids, w/o consulting their parents. I don't approve of this, it was an obvious lapse in judgement. But I also agree w/those commentators who hold that community service would have been a fiting punishment. In addition to harming the Mom, you harm her kids as well by punishign her with imprisonment. Also, I believe the LAW does not draw a distinction--you can get punished for serving alcohol to your own children.