4 ms·

Anecdotally, it worked for my uncle. The judge gave him the option to join the Marines or go to prison. He chose the former and he ended up becoming a productiv

by 67726e 10y ago

Anecdotally, it worked for my uncle. The judge gave him the option to join the Marines or go to prison. He chose the former and he ended up becoming a productive member of society.

Cthulhu_ 10y ago
sounds like GoT, take the black or be executed. Still, I think this is a point in favor of conscription - there's a big generation of young adults that don't learn how to adult anymore, basic stuff like laundry, ironing, regular exercise, (self-) discipline, etc.
- philh 10y ago
  If young adults are getting by without knowing how to iron, I suggest that says more about ironing than it does about the adults.
- literallycancer 10y ago
  Why not have a laundry course then? Why force people who don't need it to waste time there?
  - colechristensen 10y ago
    The point isn't that they didn't learn to do laundry. Fixing it by offering a laundry course is just putting black tape over a warning light. They didn't have the environment growing up that made being an upright citizen easy or particularly likely. You can't teach a course about "responsibility" and expect good things.
komali2 10y ago
I've never heard of this type of judgement. Was this in the USA? What was your uncle's crime?
- Neliquat 10y ago
  Hear of it at least 2 dozen times, various states, usa. Seems a bit less common now, but still happens. Usually for when a judge wants to give you an out. If you bail, you get full judgement.
- 67726e 10y ago
  This was in the US, Pittsburgh, PA to be specific. However this was during the Vietnam war. Googling around, this sort of arrangement would make one ineligible from enlisting nowadays. There's an article referring to at least one case in which someone was denied enlistment[0] because of just such a case. Further research indicates that this is asked of recruits, meaning one could hypothetically perjure himself and maybe not get caught. I couldn't find any other references to this happening today, but there were loads of waivers issued back in the days of "the surge", so it wouldn't surprise me if some folks slipped through the cracks and got a "jail or enlist" talk from a small town sheriff or magistrate. [0] - https://www.stripes.com/news/judge-said-army-or-jail-but-military-doesn-t-want-him-1.44417#.WLhaBPHyv0o https://www.stripes.com/news/judge-said-army-or-jail-but-mil...
- HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
  Happens quite frequently from what I'm told. Judges have quite a bit of discretion sometimes and try to sentence intelligently. [anecdote] I used to know someone who was an addict. Judge gave her the choice of going on probation for a year, or 45 days in jail. The catch was if she took the probation offer but was picked up for drug offenses in that time, it was an immediate sentence of a year in jail. She took the 45 days. Better the devil you know than the one you can't control! [/anecdote]

by 67726e 10y ago

Anecdotally, it worked for my uncle. The judge gave him the option to join the Marines or go to prison. He chose the former and he ended up becoming a productive member of society.

Cthulhu_ 10y ago

sounds like GoT, take the black or be executed. Still, I think this is a point in favor of conscription - there's a big generation of young adults that don't learn how to adult anymore, basic stuff like laundry, ironing, regular exercise, (self-) discipline, etc.

philh 10y ago
If young adults are getting by without knowing how to iron, I suggest that says more about ironing than it does about the adults.
literallycancer 10y ago
Why not have a laundry course then? Why force people who don't need it to waste time there?
- colechristensen 10y ago
  The point isn't that they didn't learn to do laundry. Fixing it by offering a laundry course is just putting black tape over a warning light. They didn't have the environment growing up that made being an upright citizen easy or particularly likely. You can't teach a course about "responsibility" and expect good things.

komali2 10y ago

I've never heard of this type of judgement. Was this in the USA? What was your uncle's crime?

Neliquat 10y ago
Hear of it at least 2 dozen times, various states, usa. Seems a bit less common now, but still happens. Usually for when a judge wants to give you an out. If you bail, you get full judgement.
67726e 10y ago
This was in the US, Pittsburgh, PA to be specific. However this was during the Vietnam war. Googling around, this sort of arrangement would make one ineligible from enlisting nowadays. There's an article referring to at least one case in which someone was denied enlistment[0] because of just such a case. Further research indicates that this is asked of recruits, meaning one could hypothetically perjure himself and maybe not get caught. I couldn't find any other references to this happening today, but there were loads of waivers issued back in the days of "the surge", so it wouldn't surprise me if some folks slipped through the cracks and got a "jail or enlist" talk from a small town sheriff or magistrate. [0] - https://www.stripes.com/news/judge-said-army-or-jail-but-military-doesn-t-want-him-1.44417#.WLhaBPHyv0o https://www.stripes.com/news/judge-said-army-or-jail-but-mil...
HeyLaughingBoy 10y ago
Happens quite frequently from what I'm told. Judges have quite a bit of discretion sometimes and try to sentence intelligently. [anecdote] I used to know someone who was an addict. Judge gave her the choice of going on probation for a year, or 45 days in jail. The catch was if she took the probation offer but was picked up for drug offenses in that time, it was an immediate sentence of a year in jail. She took the 45 days. Better the devil you know than the one you can't control! [/anecdote]