Throw the Book at Them



During Tuesday's parade in Boston to celebrate the New England Patriots' Super Bowl victory, five juveniles, along with 32 adults, were arrested for disorderly conduct. Apparently, those juveniles threw snowballs and bottles at one another. Yesterday, they were offered a rather innovative deal from Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley: read Michael Patrick MacDonald's All Souls: A Family Story from Southie and deliver a 2,500-word report on its meaning, and the charges will be dropped. All Souls details the struggles of growing up in South Boston (a.k.a. "Southie"), Boston's working-class, Irish Catholic enclave.



According to Conley, ''I want them to know that their behavior -- the disrespect, the rowdiness, the foolishness -- leads to other problems in life. When you read a book like All Souls, you understand there are many choices in life, and poor choices can lead to a life of misery. They should appreciate the Patriots for their success, but they shouldn't act like fools when they come into the city."



I think Conley should be applauded for offering an instructive, rather than a punitive penalty in this instance: Assuming these five kids actually take their assignment seriously, reading a telling book and writing about it appears more sensible than having them endure a more draconian punishment (e.g., being shipped off to a juvenile delinquent center, like depicted in the film Sleepers) which might cause them--and ultimately society--more harm than good.

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