@The Psyentist 558108 wrote:
That’s good. Well it’s a good outcome considering the tragedy that led to this.
its a big step forward compared to previous similar incidents in that region though one big factor is the mum being young, intelligent and articulate and only a year older than me and most likely having been influenced herself by rave culture (she appears to have had a career in publishing/media, she has written a book about the incident) and has thus been extremely open and honest about her lifestyle and parenting of her daughter (which would be viewed as very liberal is even by todays standards). She acknowledges their relatively privileged, middle class lifestyle and uses it as a way of making it clear to similar parents that prohibition does not stop drug use and it doesn’t just happen to “kids on rough city estates”.
Also in Britain it would be impossible for a case like this to escape media scrutiny and the Internet makes it possible to directly track anyone (you do not have to be GCHQ, even if they are a recluse or manage to have a social life without using an Internet connected computer they can still be found), and journalists themselves are good at tracking people down (the reporters who are in trouble today are the crap ones).
She has had the sense to accept this and make something good of it, and by the judge publishing the offenders details (that was a decision on his part) means the offender (who handed himself in anyway) has few options other than to participate in the Restorative Justice project (TVP had it for some years but its not normally used for a case where someone has been hurt or killed).
What used to happen in cases like this during the 5-10 year jail sentence the offenders family would have been driven out to some other part of the country, which would have obviously made the offender resentful (when they otherwise might have had a more stable environment to return to post sentence) and they would more likely start up dealing somewhere else.
Even in nations which seem more progressive than the UK, these incidents still happen and their privacy laws mean that anything like this wouldn’t be possible (teenagers are particularly vulnerable even if testing services are available, as they take more risks and also want instant gratification).
