[Kat-L]

Originally Posted by stevenstwin

Morally, yes - but here if he is under 14 there is no kind of charges that could be laid. Under our "Young Offenders Law" kids that age have literally gotten away with murder...the most that can be done is to determine if there is something wrong with their home environment and get them treatment (apparently already the case with this kid, I'm guessing!) Anyway, A. doesn't even know or remember the NAME of the boy, so any kind of reporting of it would serve no purpose other than to give the RTC notice that it happened on their watch.

I agree that it's not fair to treat a kid as an adult and send them to prison if there is still hope they can be rehabilitated- but to not charge them for their crimes and make them stand trial is a horrible alternative. What kind of message does that send them? It's like that song "Come Out & Play": 'If you're under 18, you won't be doing any time'. Great message to send to youthful offenders. Maybe that's why kids these days are so out of control-they know there are no real consequences even if they are caught.

[stevenstwin]

Yep - and good quote on that. and The Offspring aren't even Canadian! I think young offenders are much more likely to be prosecuted in the USA than where I am.

[waited2long]

I still do not think it is a waste of time to report the incident.
First, I think you'll find out very quickly whether it was a made up story. Though I find it curious that he said he was moved to a single room. Makes me think t was true and the RTC knew about it.
Second, while I agree that there will most likely be no punishment for anyone involved. I do believe that the incident will be added to the Statistics of RTCs. Every number that can be added or subtracted from these Statistics are vital for how RTCs are run in the future. One more number could mean the difference between single or double occupant bedrooms......
Our government does everything by statistics.

Maybe you should talk to your son about it? Let him decide.

[lucyjoy]

So, she should forget her sons wishes and feelings and break his confidence by reporting something that may or may not have happened several years ago by an unknown perpetrator in the hopes RTC law gets changed? And the kid has no rights to HIS privacy simply because he isn't an adult and dared to trust one?

I wouldn't do that to my child.

[Kat-L]

Originally Posted by waited2long

I still do not think it is a waste of time to report the incident.Maybe you should talk to your son about it? Let him decide.

I think it should be the son's decision because they'll want to talk to him. There is a pretty good chance (considering staff turnover rates at RTC's) that none of the original staff will still be with the center but they will have HR records to see who was working there. But I don't think the OP can report this assault anonymously. They will want to talk to the victim. If it's something he can't talk about at this point, I wouldn't want to try and force him. Maybe in the future he'll feel like it's something he can disclose to strangers and discuss. But right now, it sounds like he really isn't in a position to share the experience .