Oh my, oh my - our own Bonnie and Clyde are on the loose! They are better known as the ‘Teen Vending Machine’ gang – careful, they might get to your fridge next or the kit-kat hidden in your kitchen cupboard!
This is another example where our criminal justice system risks losing its credibility, that is, when it can't see the wood for the trees, yet again. The Prosecution has made itself a laughing stock and some members of the Judiciary seem to be living in a parallel universe. The system of law enforcement which is directly involved in apprehending, prosecuting, defending, sentencing, and punishing those who are suspected or convicted of criminal offenses needs a serious re-think from the ground up especially when it comes to the minors. Our Juvenile Court system is in tatters.
This is illustrated in the latest faux pas, a case that has hit the headlines – way too embarrassing to be credible.
The Lovin Malta headlines says it all; Teen Vending Machine Thieves Given Second Chance By Maltese Magistrate And Let Out On Bail (20/5/21)
Can this be more comical?
Magistrate Monica Vella is reported in the Times of Malta (20/5/21) as having delivered judgment of this ‘monstrous’ (my words) crime after much ‘deliberation’ (sigh). Hold your horses. Teenagers were accused of stealing from a vending machine at the care home where they live and the question beckons, did the care workers report them to the police? Was this event so cataclysmic from where they came that it required the police officers to rush to the scene of the crime?
And I ask:
Which home in Malta would have sweets in a vending machine? Institutionalization of the worse kind!
Which parents, carers and guardians in this case would report their children because they would have ‘stolen’ sweets? Institutionalization of the worse kind, yet again!
Which police force would be bothered with prosecuting teenagers for stealing sweets even if this followed other acts of criminality? Moral panic to the core. Surely, we can find better examples of breaking the law then stealing sweets from a vending machine?
Our criminal justice system, from top-to-bottom, has got its priorities topsy-turvy and is so preposterous you need a lifetime to get to grips with this.
Can you believe what was written in the newspaper; ‘Two teenage girls who stole sweets from a vending machine at the care home where they live were on Thursday let off with a suspended sentence and a strong warning by a magistrate to “never again set foot in court!” Mamma mia, I’m stumped – they were essentially handed down a prison sentence. This is atrocious, funny and grey at the same time.
The irony is that all of this should have been avoided if anybody had taken note of an excellently written Crime Prevention Strategy which is due for renewal this year even though it seems that it has hardly taken off the ground. It is full of brilliant ideas but not sure we have even started addressing the issues outlined in this strategy which essentially call for a coherent community response rather than isolated initiatives.
The newspaper continues to state that;
‘The 14 and 16-year old girls were escorted to court under arrest over two instances of aggravated theft and willful damage to third party property.’ Just for clarification, are we talking about stealing a packet of Love Hearts and Twistees or is this a copycat HSBC heist?
The article goes on to say that;
‘One of the girls was also charged with breaching a probation order.’
Lest we forget. Probably these girls were abandoned by their families, maybe diagnosed with AD(H)D, possibly moved from one foster placement to another, each failing, believably thrown out of school and dumped on one social worker after another, psychotherapist, psychologist and God knows what else. They indubitably got a taste of each and every part of the continuum of services, knocked around like rag dolls. I really wouldn’t be surprised that they witness and/or experienced abuse. No wonder probation failed them and this for a 14-year-old. The truth is that the system collapsed around them – they went through the net and instead of trying to recuperate they are now a cog in the criminal justice system and probably this taste of ‘blood’ will get them to ‘up’ their offenses knowing well enough that that is the only way they will feel they matter. It is a known fact that once you’re in the system its difficult to get out of it.
The article goes on to say; ‘The troubled youths admitted to the charges and apologized.’ Oh sure. How naïve. I would have acted contrite knowing that the other option would be cell time! I’m sure that the next thing they will be doing is boogying to go to confession and hear a mass. Can’t the Court realize that this behavior is symptomatic of a much bigger and profound problem and these girls will keep coming back now that they’ve been soiled by the system? Needless to say, where was the educational system, the non-formal and informal education?
Madame Magistrate in action.
‘’Magistrate Monica Vella delivered judgment, together with a stern warning to the girls to steer away from further trouble.’’ As if these two children are able to wriggle themselves out of the rut society got them into, making them feel helpless and hopeless. They’re kids Madame Magistrate, just reminding you. These kids are done. They are lost. Walking through the Courts of Justice in Valletta instead of being dealt with at Juvenile Court, if we really needed to take them through that ordeal. This is a significant merciless moment in the criminal career trajectory they have been placed in.
Oh, and wait to hear this classic admonition of the Magistrate: “I sincerely hope that I won’t see you back here and that you will start to rebuild your life.” I want to believe that the Magistrate was lost for words. ‘Madame Magistrate, can’t you realize that what is wrong is with the system and not with these kids and with your words you simply confirm the failure of the structure?’ Maybe it’s our social services that need to get ‘in order’ here. ‘We’ are the ones who should be helping these kids get their life back and not dig a hole for them.
The twist in this dusky tale is that she sentenced each to a two-year jail term suspended for four years and the 16-year old girl was also placed under a 3-year Probation Order. So, this is the best we could do? What about the State? Should it carry the responsibility for the sins of these kids? We have really lost the plot. These children are not perpetrators of crime but victims of such. They are the ones who have been slipping through our 1 billion Euro social services program. They are children and we are unable to deal with their behavior.
Can this case make us look more ridiculous?