A couple of reports from the courts yesterday got me thinking.
First, the decision to let that Ponzi scheme low-life David Ross.
This is the guy who robbed investors of more than $100 million and made out it was all a mistake.
Not a whiff of remorse.
Well, he's getting out early next year, more than four years has been cut off his sentence and you can bet your backside he's parked some of that cash, somewhere.
He'll be sweet.
Now, compare that to the case of Jayden Breakwell.
This is the 18 year-old who failed to stop for police, got chased, crashed, and killed a 64 year-old man.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and reckless driving, but he is trying to express his sorrow.
Now you might have thought they were crocodile tears, but there were tears, he apologised to the victim's family and he admitted it was his fault.
We're putting him away for almost three years.
The question to me is, will we gain from that?
Will putting an 18 year-old who truly seems to recognise he was stupid and reckless in prison and surrounding him with career criminals in a toxic environment actually serve society?
I'm not for a minute suggesting there shouldn't be consequences. He refused to stop, got into a chase and ended up killing a man.
But will prison make an 18 year-old who realises he was dumb and arrogant into a better person, a more useful and constructive member of society?
Do we need protecting from him, more than we need protecting from a career crook?
A man with an attitude of entitlement who deliberately and methodically preyed on the elderly, and who'd probably do it again if he got the chance?
Just thinking out loud.
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