On 2 Sep 2006 09:22:22 -0700, "Jonathan Morris" wrote:

If you threw away the key it would! They would NEVER get out in that
case. Forget whether it deters anyone else turning to a life of crime;
you've at least dealt with the problem in hand.

I object to paying my good tax money to keep miscreants like this in jail for
even a few months, much less the rest of their lives.

There are a couple of tried and true ways of dealing with this kind of person:

1) Make them clean the outside of the trains they (or others) have spoiled.
Then make them clean the insides of trains for a long period of community
service. They won't want to try it again. The only problem with this is that
the workers whose jobs these are aren't keen to let the miscreants take them
over. The solution to that is to make the workers the managers of these kids
while they're doing the work.

2) If they're actually artistic, besides (1) give them a legal canvas to do
their work on. It worked in New York City when I lived there. This does not
work unless (1) is also used.

3) Ensure that train yards are well-protected with fences, guard dogs, barbed
wire, and CCTV cameras that work in the dark. Does nothing for the miscreants,
but makes it so much less easy to do the dirty deed that they may try less
difficult canvases such as walls. Then apply (1) and (2) to them when they're
caught at it.
--
Chris Hansen
chrishansenhome at btinternet dot com