Judge throws teen in jail for 30 days for giving him the finger.

[Wetcoaster]

I'm sorry Public defenders never do their job. All they ever try to do is scare people into plea arrangements and make the job easier for the DA. Get a clue. They don't give a crap about whether their client is guilty or not.

[Kryten]

Which had an effect on Soto's courtroom demeanor during her second appearance; incarceration, being sober, or both? Noone here can answer this question unequivocally (any who have tried, did so foolishly). IMO addicts who are to attend court proceedings, should be dried out beforehand in a facility, not afterward in a dry cell. No prison but no slap on the wrist either. Provide help (don't forget that some of these people are victims of abuse for gawd's sake), then once the accused's faculties are returned, hold proceedings. I think this would be a little fairer for the judge as well, a chance to see the real personality of the accused as his/her crimes are read which leads to a more informed decision if contempt needs to be enforced.

[JohnTavares]

That power trip.

[Blue90]

Which had an effect on Soto's courtroom demeanor during her second appearance; incarceration, being sober, or both? Noone here can answer this question unequivocally (any who have tried, did so foolishly). IMO addicts who are to attend court proceedings, should be dried out beforehand in a facility, not afterward in a dry cell. No prison but no slap on the wrist either. Provide help (don't forget that some of these people are victims of abuse for gawd's sake), then once the accused's faculties are returned, hold proceedings. I think this would be a little fairer for the judge as well, a chance to see the real personality of the accused as his/her crimes are read which leads to a more informed decision if contempt needs to be enforced.

[Dral]

you seem to miss the point that Penelope was NOT in some Juvie Court .. she was being tried as an adult and acted like a petulant punk-ass kid .. she would find kinderd souls her within the confines of CDC ..

[Wetcoaster]

Just because someone is 18 doesn't mean they are an "adult" - growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. If society is trending towards 18-19-20 year olds being immature, then society as a whole has failed.

No - she was jailed for being 'stupid' (or so say half the posters in this thread). Apparently, in Florida, that is a crime. Thank God we don't live in (Canada) a society where being stupid is cause just cause for being incarcerated, otherwise most of the people I know would be behind bars right now.

Dude - I'd really like to hear your unfiltered opinion on this topic because I think it might be shockingly sober.

[Dral]

In Florida you are an adult in the eyes of the criminal law when you are 18 - or it can be younger if you are to be tried as adult for certain serious crimes. In Canada a juvenile can be sentenced as an adult for certain serious crimes.

She was jailed because she was cited by a judge for criminal contempt in the face of the court after a summary hearing was held. A judge in Canada possesses similar powers and proceedings would be held in a similar fashion as a judge's contempt power is preserved under our Criminal Code.

[Buddhas Hand]

Just because someone is 18 doesn't mean they are an "adult" - growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. If society is trending towards 18-19-20 year olds being immature, then society as a whole has failed.

Hardwired into everyone's head

Is the person they're gonna be

Growing up is not a matter of choice

It's a matter of wait and see

No - she was jailed for being 'stupid' (or so say half the posters in this thread). Apparently, in Florida, that is a crime. Thank God we don't live in (Canada) a society where being stupid is cause just cause for being incarcerated, otherwise most of the people I know would be behind bars right now.

Dude - I'd really like to hear your unfiltered opinion on this topic because I think it might be shockingly sober.

[Wetcoaster]

Anyways,just because someone is 18 doesn't mean they are "all growed up". The "law" can state whatever it wants, that doesn't mean the "law" is correct. There are MANY aspects of the law which are very much outdated and need to be revised and updated (and as a lawyer, I'm sure you agree with this).

[Dral]

They are "all growed up" in the eyes of the law when they reach the age of adult criminal responsibility.

[Wetcoaster]

The "law" can state whatever it wants, that doesn't mean the "law" is correct. There are MANY aspects of the law which are very much outdated and need to be revised and updated (and as a lawyer, I'm sure you agree with this).

People grasp your 2nd point, it's you who seem to fail to grasp our point as the best you can do is cut and paste quotes from law books. This isn't a conversation about what the LAW says, it's about what the law SHOULD be. What is the best way to deal with kids who flippantly talk back to those who (ab)use their authority to try and make this a better society? Toss them in jail?

Ok... quote me something else from a text book.

[Mr. Ambien]

Thankfully moron judge from the original video had his contempt of court charge reversed and a smarter, more mature, and less antagonistic one attempts to help her than send someone to jail over such trivial s***. Bravo to this judge.

[Jason82]

Setting an age of criminal responsibility is not one of those laws - you are an adult or you are not. She is not a kid. She is an adult.

[Mr. Ambien]

Well that law is WRONG IMO. You should be considered an adult at age 21 same has the drinking age in the states. Everyone has their own opinion and that's mine.

[Wetcoaster]

Thankfully moron judge from the original video had his contempt of court charge reversed and a smarter, more mature, and less antagonistic one attempts to help her than send someone to jail over such trivial s***. Bravo to this judge.

[Scott Hartnell's Mane]

Just because someone is 18 doesn't mean they are an "adult" - growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional. If society is trending towards 18-19-20 year olds being immature, then society as a whole has failed.

No - she was jailed for being 'stupid' (or so say half the posters in this thread). Apparently, in Florida, that is a crime. Thank God we don't live in (Canada) a society where being stupid is cause just cause for being incarcerated, otherwise most of the people I know would be behind bars right now.

Dude - I'd really like to hear your unfiltered opinion on this topic because I think it might be shockingly sober.

[Scott Hartnell's Mane]

Good to see the original judge's BS contempt charge was reversed. The system DOES work sometimes.

[Dral]

Well...no...she was jailed because she was being a smartass in court. That falls under the categories of both flippant and stupid...neither of which should be jailable. My entire unfiltered opinion on this topic, considering it was Florida where I had to go to rehab for my Klonopin addiction and was subsequently placed under house arrest probation...They have a completely different ****ing set of rules in Florida. Their hostile attitude towards those who come to visit and ultimately get into legal trouble is absolutely appalling. My close personal friend, whom I will not name because he's a poster here..went down for a Spring Break vacation during his senior year of high school. He met an enchanting young woman in a bar down there...now, this girl was already in the bar, so my friend naturally assumed she was old enough to be in the bar. He buys her a couple of drinks, they go out to a beach. Busy body Tallahassee PD dick patrols the beach with a flashlight...my bud's getting busy with this girl...anyway...cop discovers them...checks ID...the chick's 16, and my buddy's totally unaware of this. The dick cop calls for back up, they arrest my friend for "sexual assault" on a minor and toss him in the Leon County Jail, where he is treated like a common criminal. They throw this guy, a gentle, kind, soul...directly into Gen Pop in that jail...he had been on meds since he was 15 for ADHD and depression and anxiety. His stupid **** public defender, keep in mind my friend was not well off enough to afford an ACTUAL defense lawyer...did absolutely nothing for him. The PD was a woman, which is one reason I think she cared less about him, considering what he was arrested for...and the DA was a woman. They threw him under the bus. He got 30 months in a Florida state prison for trusting that little bitch and because the TPD and that bull crap kangaroo court system down there wanted to make an example of him...he'd never been in any kind of trouble before, and then to make matters worse he had to serve 3 more years of probation which he thankfully got transferred back here to NC. He became a social pariah because no one wanted to hear the truth, he was shunned by most of his family, his friends from HS turned on him, it was a mess. While he was locked up in the Leon County Jail, they wouldn't provide the psych pills he was ALREADY on...no...the ???? doped his ass with Thorazine. They put him on 900 mg of it a day. It turned him into a zombie, pacing back and forth, drooling from his mouth constantly...What that ???? court system did to my friend is ???? criminal...and I have zero kind things to say about that state, anyone who lives there, and like I said...Florida can drop into the ???? ocean for all I care...I know my friend and I wouldn't ???? miss it. Bunch of bull artists down there in law enforcement and the courts...that's a god damned travesty.

[Scott Hartnell's Mane]

That's a horrible story - something out of a movie (actually, its better then a lot of made-for-tv-movies, and your friend should use his story to make a movie) - and just shows that the system is obviously broken. The "Law" and society obviously failed your friend. When things like this happen, it's clear that blind faith and unquestioned respect for the law and court system is not a good thing.

[Dral]

Setting an age of criminal responsibility is not one of those laws - you are an adult or you are not. She is not a kid. She is an adult.

I can just see it now. "Your honour please do not hold my 19 year old client criminally liable, he is an immature little twit and should not be allowed out in public without a minder" Any idea how that defence would work should it be tried?

Actually criminal contempt in the face of the court is not statutory law - it is common law flowing from a judge's inherent jurisdiction to control the process in his/her court. It exists in every Anglo-American legal jurisdiction of which I am aware and has a long historical tradition. Legislatures have the power to abolish it as with other common law offences but they have not done so.