2023年10月5日
褚簡寧 Michael Chugani
STRAIGHT-SHOOTING
Should judges punish young offenders too harshly?

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There is an American saying that if you do the crime, you do the time. This means if you are convicted of a crime, you must spend jail time. How much time a convicted person spends in jail depends on which law the criminal broke and how the judge rules.
Some judges throw the book at those found guilty, regardless of age. Others give deeper thought to how a tough sentence could affect the future of young offenders after they are released from prison.
A recent court ruling just one week after I returned to Hong Kong so disturbed me that I felt I must pick up my pen again. The case involved Cheung Chi-hin, an 18-year-old who was just 15 when a friend asked him to pack and deliver ketamine for $500 each time. He did it to help his ailing father and jobless mother who were in financial despair during the pandemic. ...
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