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Crime and Punishment (Children's Edition) --case 2
In an opinion piece for FoxNews.com written in February 2005 (On Handcuffed and Felonious Children), Wendy McElroy discusses an incident that occurred in a school in my own state in which 9 and 10 year old boys were arrested for felonies and taken away in handcuffs---and why? For drawing stick-figure pictures depicting violence against another student. As she points out, neither child had any history of violence and no violence was involved. She also mentions another Florida in which a six year old was hand-cuffed and led away.
I rarely find myself agreeing with this feminist opponent of 'mainstream feminism' (i.e., feminism) about anything, but I think she's right on target with this one. Among other things, McElroy attacks the faulty reasoning underlying the so-called 'zero tolerance' policy in schools:
"Zero tolerance involves the application of law in an extreme and uncompromising manner to any activity violent or not that is deemed to be anti-social. It applies to everyone, regardless of circumstances such as age, intent or prior history. Zero tolerance has spread through society largely due to the reasonable fear with which people have responded to the school shootings at Columbine and the still-stunning tragedy of Sept. 11. The fear is reasonable. But the ongoing response is not. No one — not the police, not the government, no school official — has the right to brutalize a child for using crayons. And the people who reasonably supported zero tolerance as a way to make schools safer never envisioned a police state in which 6-year-olds are handcuffed." [McElroy quote ends]
Sing it, sister.
Image drawn by Mr Tenniel; painted by Damozel.
9:57:57 PM 
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