Dear editor,
You have to wonder if a person who commits a crime thinks about the consequences that could happen as a result of that crime. Whether the crime they commit is a major one, as in murder, or minor as in petty theft. Many young offenders don’t stop to think before they do something that they consider fun or a dare or to be cool when they steal.
If a person steals just a chocolate bar for example, what goes through their head at that time? Do they realize that what they are doing can impact other people? If all young offenders steal multiple times at the same store, it could make people end up paying more than usual for their groceries because the store will need to make up for lost revenue and does this by increasing prices. People still need to feed their families no matter the elevated costs.
Another thing that could happen is the store could go out of business and the employees that need their job to support themselves will need to look elsewhere for jobs. Perhaps one of those employees was a single mom who loses her job due to many petty thefts by young offenders. It could change her life drastically. It could even impact the community as well. The single parent may need to go to the food bank in order to feed her children. The food bank would then need to get other people in the community to donate more food.
What if this single mom needed her job as a condition in a court order in order to keep her children? Now, due to too many petty thefts by mostly young offenders, this mother now needs to go to court to try to keep her children. Taxpayers pay for provincial court costs. Now, this single parent needs to go on Social Assistance in order to not lose her home. Taxpayers pay for this service as well.
Yes, this does seem like an extreme case but it could happen at any time in any city. Young offenders need to know that when they commit a crime, this could become a reality or cause worse problems later in the future or right now in their own generation.
Now, let’s discuss the young offender and what can happen to him or her. A young person goes into a store and steals a chocolate bar. They get caught and the police are called. The young person gets arrested. Now they are scared and their parents become disappointed and start to lose trust in their child. Depending on the circumstances, the child could get a record of theft which could have a huge effect on their future. Yes, most young offenders know that their record clears once they turn 18. However, maybe this child doesn’t realize the mistake they made and how it could affect them. They laugh it off and brag to their friends who may think he or she is cool for getting arrested. Then that young offender turns 18 and realizes that he or she got away with stealing. Now they decide to steal a car or break and enter or worse. Now that young offender turns into a convict and depending on the crime, spends time in prison. This greatly affects their future because this record stays for life.
I am a young offender. I stole from a local store because I was dared by someone I thought was my friend. I did not realize the consequences of my actions and I was arrested. I have since learned that my actions could have changed my life drastically or someone else’s life without even realizing it. I am hoping that this letter helps other young people realize that they need to think about what is right and wrong before they do something they will always regret.
- Anonymous
