Dear Editor,
This epidemic of juveniles stealing cars should have come to an end a long time ago.
The fact that these adolescents are repeat offenders shows that not enough is being done to curb their appetite for crime. It is clear that this cycle of arrests and re-offending is not doing the job in getting these youths to stop committing crimes. Trends in recidivism have shown that the the chances of getting rearrested only go up as time from release goes on, so we should do our best to deter this crime as quickly as possible upon their release from arrest.
If simply arresting these repeat offenders is not deterring them from breaking into cars repeatedly every time they get released, then maybe they shouldn’t get released. If police are aware of the specific offenders, shouldn’t we parole them if they continue to post bail but yet continue to commit these crimes? Should they face jail time to pay for repeating the same crime?
I think it seems completely reasonable that they face just punishment and that they pay in whatever way that will make them stop doing this to the people in our area.
Sincerely,
Rachel Keshin
(New Canaan Resident, UVA Class of 2021)