Graffiti girl jailed for first offence

Graffiti girl jailed for first offence

www.news.com.au

AN 18-year-old girl with no prior criminal history has been jailed for writing her nickname on the wall of a Sydney cafe.

Cheyene Back, who turned 18 last month, wept as she was sentenced to three months jail for graffiti on the public wall at Hyde Park Cafe, The Daily Telegraph reported.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Ah-huh.

Think of all of the crimes that you've read about, where people escape jail. Think of all the bail-outs given to corrupt and criminal executives... rewarded for incompetence.

Then, try and wrap your head around a girl being sent to jail for writing a piece of graffitti on a wall.

I know what some replies will be... law-and-order freaks will say good job, she destroyed private property. Ah-huh. The cafe wants $200 damages.

What the friggin hell was that judge thinking? Was that judge thinking? Judges need to be careful of their decisions, especially in these uncertain times. They're not going to be safe from the pitchforks for when they finally meet some revenge by disgruntled 'clients'.

www.news.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

I agree, what a bunch of crap. There are murders' whonever see a day in jail, yet one girl writes her name on a wall and she serves 3 months? Really?

Good for them! I think if judges were this harsh on kids convicted of their first crimes, they'd think twice befire re offending.

Yep, I did some minor graffitti ONCE in my past. Stupid and I regret it but I still did it. It's called growing up. No, I wasn't caught. I was about 16 maybe 17 years old.

Thanks for putting me behind bars and screwing up the rest of my life.

I guess you're sin free and never did anything 'wrong' when you were younger?



Removed quote of post above

[edit on 2/2/09 by masqua]

Should be more of it. Graffiti is a symptom of a me generation that disrespects everybody and everything including themselves.

Yeah, I've screwed up when I was younger, and I paid for it too. Lessons in life are learnt by trial and error, and this girl will learn a valuable lesson from this. My only complaint is the law is inconsistent, and sentencing should be harsher to suit the severity of the crime committed.

The OP points out that people receive lighter sentences for more serious crimes. I agree, and think it is wrong, but it doesn't change the fact that a crime is a crime, and the inability or inconsistency of judges to punish people appropriately in all cases does not provide justification for leniency in this case.

Originally posted by tezzajw
Thanks for putting me behind bars and screwing up the rest of my life.

What do you mean "screwing up the rest of your life" haven't you ever heard of juvienille record expongement? sorry but if a kid has a DOP on their recor and they can't find a job later on in life then there's deffinatly more issues going on then just the record.



Trimmed quote

[edit on 2/2/09 by masqua]

I have zero sympathy and I truly hope she learned her lesson. In the U.S. they might get arrested if caught in the act, but they'd be out within a couple of days.

Originally posted by tezzajw

You do realise that almost every teen would end up in jail right?

I guess you're sin free and never did anything 'wrong' when you were younger?

Every teen? Hmm I never painted tags on other peoples private property without permission.

I did plenty wrong when I was young and I paid the price and then some.

[edit on 2-2-2009 by verylowfrequency]

Originally posted by alyosha1981
What do you mean "screwing up the rest of your life" haven't you ever heard of juvienille record expongement?

Right, sure... forget the fact that an 18 year old will lose three months of freedom in prison with real hard case criminals. Yeah, great solution.

How about applying common sense and getting her to pay the $200, clean up her graffitti and regret her shame? With no prior convictions, she's been treated in a crushing way.

Originally posted by Snappahead
My only complaint is the law is inconsistent, and sentencing should be harsher to suit the severity of the crime committed.

That's the whole point of this article. You admit that the law is inconsistent. It's broken, it's screwed up - completely. When something is broken, like the law, it needs to be fixed or scrapped.

Laws are made by rich and powerful people to control the plebs. Laws don't apply the same way to rich and powerful people in the same way they do to the plebs.

Destroying a girl's immediate future for writing her name on a wall is an extreme example of a system that is broken and failed. The civil uprisings around the globe might help to show the law and the lawmakers how frail they really are.

Originally posted by verylowfrequency
Every teen? Hmm I never painted tags on other peoples private property without permission.
I did plenty wrong when I was young and I paid the price and then some.

I'll clarify. I never meant that all teens go and do graffitti. However, I know that most teens do something 'wrong' as part of growing up.

You admitted you did something wrong. Did you spend time in prison for it?

Examples:
A teen 'badges' a car. Should he go to jail if caught?
A teen throws a couple of glass bottles down a street on the road at night and runs off. Should he go to jail if caught?
A teen turns on someone's tap at night in their front yard. Should they go to jail if caught?

Teens do naughty things, at times, it's basic psychology that teenage brains are not fully mature and they will indulge in risk-taking behaviour. Should they go to jail for it?

reply to post by tezzajw


Your right she should have to pay the $200, and do the jail time and then go appoligise to to the store owner as well!

Originally posted by tezzajw

Examples:
A teen 'badges' a car. Should he go to jail if caught?
A teen throws a couple of glass bottles down a street on the road at night and runs off. Should he go to jail if caught?
A teen turns on someone's tap at night in their front yard. Should they go to jail if caught?

Yes to all the above! here's why(well i don'y know what the first one is but) the other two could cost someone some money they might not have.

Originally posted by alyosha1981
Good for them! I think if judges were this harsh on kids convicted of their first crimes, they'd think twice befire re offending.

Have to agree. Ok lets nail this down a little more.

This "kid" is NO kid to begin with. How old is she people???? What was that???? HUH?????? WHAT?????? OH...18...Did I read that right? 18..correct?? 18.

Ok here we have an 18 year old ADULT, who shortly after turning 18, decided to spray some paint on private property..a resturant wall.

Now this 18 year old ADULT will have to answer for her actions AS AN ADULT.

She is 18, spelled out Eighteen. Now just because the number ends in "TEEN" does not mean she is a "TEEN" anymore. She is legally an ADULT.

The legal age of full responsibility in Australia is 18.

So why are people here acting like this 18 year old is 12? She is an adult, and now lives in the adult world where adults answer for their actions.

She should have known better.

3 months in jail is nothing. It might sound harsh if she was 12, but she is 18, an adult, and had better learn this lesson real well now that she has to answer for every action she does in her ADULT life.




Cheers!!!!

reply to post by tezzajw


Washing graffitti off walls or painting over it would have been more befitting, that is what is wrong with sentencing today, the punishment for graffitti is the same as for many violent crimes or drug crimes.

Originally posted by alyosha1981
Your right she should have to pay the $200, and do the jail time and then go appoligise to to the store owner as well!

So you would personally lock her up for three months and justify to her family why you feel that this is warranted?

I'm assuming that you never did anything wrong as a teenager, nor did any of your friends or family?

No worries, if that's your point of view, you're entitled to it.

We can't have a police state and absolute subjugation without people willing to be controlled and abused by authority.

Most of the teenagers that I grew up with did some kind of naughty thing once. It's part of growing up. You would have to lock up nearly a whole generation of people in Melbourne if you're going to throw a girl in jail for writing her name on a wall.

Originally posted by tezzajw

Examples:
A teen 'badges' a car. Should he go to jail if caught?
A teen throws a couple of glass bottles down a street on the road at night and runs off. Should he go to jail if caught?
A teen turns on someone's tap at night in their front yard. Should they go to jail if caught?

Teens do naughty things, at times, it's basic psychology that teenage brains are not fully mature and they will indulge in risk-taking behaviour. Should they go to jail for it?

If this was a 16 or 14 or even a 17 year old yes they do naughty things.

But this young lady is 18, the legal responsible adult age in Australia, just as it is here in the USA, and once you hit that wonderful age of 18, you are now responsible for your actions..be it "badges" (joy rides) a car or paints graffiti on a privately owned or public wall.

Its called life. And there is a time when its time to grow up and definatley time to stop pampering bad behavior.



Cheers!!!!

[edit on 2-2-2009 by RFBurns]

Well, hope all you taxpayers that are housing/feeding/clothing her for the next 3 months enjoy the sentence she got.

reply to post by RFBurns


Absolutly! and i'll add taht the public is sometimes outraged with a "harsh" decission made by a judge until their the victim then "it's on"
really who goes into a restaraunt and does this? or any other place for that matter.

Originally posted by RFBurns
Ok here we have an 18 year old ADULT, who shortly after turning 18, decided to spray some paint on private property..a resturant wall.

Ah-huh. Yeah, no worries. It's probably worth reading the article before replying to it.

You realise that she used a black texta and not spray paint, right? You realise that she wrote her name about the size of 1 foot by 2 foot?

Sure, she's legally an adult but she's still a teen. I encourage you to read some basic psych books and see how the teenage brain is still prone to risk-taking.

Just liked I predicted in the OP and I'm not being let down. The police state replies are typical of a world gone mad. Keep them coming!

Who wants to volunteer to personally look this girl in the eye and tell her that she's going to be deprived of her freedom and liberty for three months because she wrote her name on a wall?

Remember, when you look her in the eye, think of all the times that you could have been caught doing something, or when you were caught and let off lightly, how lucky you were and how she's been persecuted by an injust unfair system.

Originally posted by grimreaper797
Well, hope all you taxpayers that are housing/feeding/clothing her for the next 3 months enjoy the sentence she got.

I don't mind some of my taxes going to the justice system, thats why it's there! for criminals like her ( and worse) as well.