Do you think it would be fair that one could be jailed at 17 but not old enough to buy alcohol?

I don't think the two really have anything to do with one another.

It has to do with being treated as an adult.

I don't see how the two are related either

One can be jailed in a juvenile facility at 12. That doesn't mean 12 year olds should be able to buy alcohol.

Yes. I fail to see the correlation here--just because you can't buy alcohol doesn't mean you should therefore be free of punishment for breaking the law. You could, for instance, be jailed fairly at 17 for trying to illegally obtain alcohol. Nevermind the more serious crimes that your typical 17-year-old is capable of committing.

wah.

Is this someone's reasoning for lowering the drinking age?

FAIR??? It's OBSCENE.

What do you think the victim of this 17 year old's crime thinks?
You might have evoked more compassion from me had you used "drafted into the army" instead of jalied...

No. Someone, in America, could be married at 17, I think, and not old enough to toast at the wedding .

i don't think a 17 yo should be jailed as an adult!!

Yes. I don't see the connection between being in jail and buying alcohol. There are many non-alcohol related crimes for which one could go to jail.

How does 'fair' enter the picture at all? Isn't 'fair' when the same rules apply to all? It says nothing about whether the rules make any sense or not.

I should have excluded juvenile facility in the survey q. I understand what you mean.

I see the q. wasn't clear. My intention was to say that you are old enough to be tried as an adult at 17 and go to jail but in the U.S. you're unable to buy alcohol at that age. Thanks for your critism.

I was. But I wasn't allowed to go into bars & that is why I asked the q. I had fake I.D. so I dealt w. the issue anyway.

Hell Yeah!!

I'm trying to say this without opening any others doors but it seems impossible, a victimless crime?

a victim-less crime... like underage drinking?

If you are old enough to go to prison for life, like Lee Malvo (The Serial Sniper from the Washington D.C. area), you should be old enough to drink alcohol!

Most of the time when teens are tried as adults, they have done something terrible, like murdered someone.

No, I don't think that 17 year olds should be sent to prison.

So because he was an idiot he should have been able to legally purchase beer? It really makes no sense.

What should be done with them when they murder people then?

You don't have to be drunk to commit a crime.

No I agree with the minimum drinking age at 21. For some it should be 41.
I guess that some 17 year olds can be charged as an adult for a crime, but that involves intent and understanding of which a 17 year old can. We have had 14 year old murderers (male and female) in this state so the state lowered the age at which a person can be charged (for certain crimes, murder, etc) to 14 because to many were able to beat the system and go free at 18 after having killed someone.

They should be helped as much as possible and sent to a youth offender's institute, not prison. If they had a long sentence, they could be transferred to prison later.

I guess I just don't see the difference between adult and youth jail. Jail is jail to me.

Adult jails are *jails*, young offender's institutes are much more about rehabilitation.

I see. You're pointing out the double-standard here. "Adult" rules apply in one situation, but not in another.........

Yes. At 17, you're old enough to know what the difference between wrong and right.

I disagree. The only difference here is that in youth jails they are required to go to school. And of course the age difference. I spent a short amout of time in each. The only difference I saw was in the youth facility they would stick you in front of a tv as a babysitter when not in school or a cell. Both facilities are supposed to be about rehabilitation but mostly that consists of forcing comformity.

My four year old neice knows the difference between wrong and right. She is the most morally correct person I know. She is so cute asking me questions about morals. I think if more kids were taught morals this would be a better place to live and less people would be concerned if 17 year olds can buy beer because they are old enough to be jailed.

In NM Prisons if you do not have a high school diploma or GED you are required to attend school in the adult prisons. This is mandatory and is part of your rehabilitation. If you refuse you can be sanctioned (the hole--lockdown) and it reflects on your record when you go to parole out. If you refuse you will probably do your entire sentence and not be paroled early. If you have a high school diploma or GED you can work or attend college classes. I have known some men come out of prison with a master's degree--no joke.

What the hell does not being able to buy alcohol have to do with anything???? A more valid comparison would be asking "but not old enough to vote".

I think it's different here.

I know exactly what you mean. My son, Caleb, is 4 (will be 5 in June) and he also knows the difference between right and wrong. If someone his age (and Mary's age) knows it's wrong to hurt people, steal, etc. then someone at 17 sure as hell should know!

Yes they should Arent they so cute at that age with their distinct personalities? Mary asked me last time she was here if something was a bad word. And it wasnt a cuss word but it was not a nice word. I explained to her that it might hurt someones feelings if you talked to them like that but it was not a real bad word She suprises me with questions I would have never thought she would ask. I catch myself thinking about it (I don't want to tell her wrong) There are lots of things that don't have right answers but you have to think about what should you tell a 4 year old about that subject? Thanks for your comment I needed a good heartwarming grin

No I certainly don't.

oops the comment above to biggles was meant for you

Can't stand ASB. Going to another site. Everyone was cool 'sept her. She thinks alot of herself. She seems self righteous. Sorry if you know her personally. I told her off, so I'm sure I'm not welcome here anymore. Won't be seeing me. Good Luck & Thanks. You were cool.

Yes, they are great at that age. It's so awesome to watch them develop their own personalities as they get older. I know exactly what you are talking about with Mary. Do you ever wish you could see the world through her eyes? I do that with Caleb. It's so amazing to me what he notices that older people take for granted.

Wouldnt that be nice? I wish I could be 4 again sometimes. They are so innocent

whose the victim?

Life isn't fair. Society isn't fair. Laws are not fair. The sooner humans realize that and suck it up the better.

too many rules.....too many rules..............

No, not really.

Yes. If you commit a crime. Especially if you are 17 and are drinking alcohol!!!!!

Hey--I'm a June boy, too. I'll be 37 this June.

What day? Caleb's birthday is the 23rd.

It's fair.

I wouldn't call it fair but I'd rather have it this way.

Yeah and booze is probably what gave them the nerve to commit the crime in the first place!

See this survey? Look at the activity and how your question prompted all kinds of comments. They may have questioned it but in the end, all are talking about the kind of issues it invokes. This, to me, is what makes a good survey...

thnx

My pleasure...

June 20, 1967. It was also the day actress Nicole Kidman was born--so we're EXACTLY the same age right to the very day!

I also have a cousin who was born only three days before me--June 17, 1967. He and I grew up more like brothers than cousins, though--maybe because of the closeness of our birthdays.
But yet, we are two different people--he's a little wild, and I'm more on the tame side. He's a drummer in one of the local country bands--a good one, too.

Nicole Kidman, huh? That's pretty cool. My birthday is on Earth Day! (April 22) Aren't I special?

I'd say you may have a special gift because of that.

Yes, I do. Jail is a consequence, and alcohol is a privilege.

I SO agree that there are too many rules.

Yes, because you can be jailed younger than that. What's unfair is being 18 and old enough to vote or be drafted into the military, but too young to legally drink alcohol.

Yes, ..also...Is there such an age where you can't commit a crime ?

You mean not legally old enough to buy alcohol?

Yeah, sure. You would only be there for a day or two at the very most. Also, jail is something that everyone should experience once. Hopefully only once.

Oh, I thought you meant go to jail for alcohol related offenses

Or vote.