Well, prison will surely turn him into a fine, upstanding gentleman ready to fully integrate with society.

True. Any nasty habits he's picked up are sure to wither on the vine in there.

Well, not to get all law-and-order on you, but what exactly did he do? Assaulting somebody isn't exactly breaking a window, and unless he has a record already, offenses like that usually result in probation or a suspended sentence. The US prison system is fucked up beyond belief I agree, but there do have to be consequences for actions.

Did it happen on his birthday? If so maybe they could look into what hour he was born, and if it was before that time, argue he wasn't 18 yet.

jonmc, he and a couple pals jumped some kid, beat him up, stole some of his stuff. He was the only one over 18 of the three and is almost certainly going to get the biggest punishment.

Sticky, it happened a few weeks after his birthday, no dice. I just happen to know he just turned 18 recently, he should have known better than to attack someone. That just says volumes about who he really is when he's not around the house.

When he's around here he has always been very respectful and a good neighbor. Both my wife and I are still kind of in shock.