This has got to be the worst example of parents refusing to take responsibility for their own stupid behavior that I have seen for a long time:
Ashley's family say his parents wanted to teach him a lesson about the consequences of breaking the law. He had taken his mother's car without permission so they had him charged him with theft.
On Thursday Ashley appeared at the North Shore District Court. The judge offered him bail but his parents chose to send him to prison as a deterrent.
Ashley's family have issued a statement listing 10 questions they want answered, such as why was a 17-year-old with no history of serious crime or violence was transported unattended with more serious offenders?
The family then goes on to describe him as a gentle teen. He had a few minor brushes with the law, something not uncommon for a 17 year old, and so they decide that charging him with car theft was a great way to get him to straighten up. Yes, let's examine that logic. Get him what is probably felony or equivalent (or at least a very stiff misdemeanor) in New Zealand on his record and expose him to the adult criminal justice system.
Then they wonder why he's not prepared for all of this and get his brains bashed in by a hardened criminal. You know who should be rotting in prison alongside the perps? The parents! Who in their right mind would think that this qualifies as "tough love?" It's more like throwing your son to the wolves and praying that they don't use him as a chew toy. The parents are morally to blame for putting their son in this situation. Taking the family car without permission hardly qualifies as stealing it.
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