Today was Rob's hearing on the falsification charge (reporting that his car was hit while parked in front of our house, when in actual fact he had slid into a parked car). Rob was extremely irritable this morning when I woke him up and I had to prod him repeatedly to get cleaned up and dressed for court. He kept stopping to play video games. He was highly agitated about his appearance during the drive to the courthouse, he hated his shirt and his pants were too tight due to a recent weight gain. Once we arrived at the courthouse he settled down, at least outwardly.
The judge reviewed his sentencing options with Rob, which included 90 days in the detention center, $250 fine, house arrest, probation, work program, and some other things that I can't remember. Rob plead "true" to the charge, and when he was given the opportunity he apologized for his stupidity. The judge gave him four 8 hour Saturday work days in May, cleaning up a nearby public beach and I had to pay another $90 for the fine and court costs.
We were very relieved with this outcome - really the best of all possible scenarios. When we were leaving the courtroom, Rob wondered aloud why the judge seemed to like him and let him off easy. The judge had told him he could see that Rob is a well brought up, good mannered kid who made a mistake, and I repeated that to him.
What Rob did not know was that I had sent a letter to this judge two weeks ago.
Dear Magistrate Judge:
My son, Rob, is scheduled to stand before you on April 24, 2007 at 8:00 a.m. in regards to a charge of misdemeanor falsification.
The purpose of my letter is to bring to your attention a pertinent fact without my son’s knowledge. Robert has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. While this does not excuse his behavior relevant to this hearing, he is at a significant risk of suicide ideation due to his illness. He is under a doctor’s care, is medication compliant, and has been much more stable in recent months, however as recently as December 2006 he has made suicide attempts.
I do not want my son to think that his disorder is an excuse for bad behavior, which is why I do not want to bring his illness to your attention in the courtroom. He understands, and I understand that there are consequences for his actions. My concern is that, in the event he is considered for placement in the juvenile detention center (although I don’t believe that is customary with a misdemeanor such as this), that you are made aware that he must be considered a suicide risk so that appropriate precautions are taken.
Your consideration of this information is very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Anonymous Mom
I don't know if this letter had any impact on the judge's decision, and he did not mention it at all during the hearing. It's entirely possible he never received it. Realistically, I never thought Rob would be sentenced to the detention center - but I was very worried that things could go very wrong, and I wanted to at least have a chance to bring it to the judge's attention without Rob knowing about it.
Today was Rob's hearing on the falsification charge (reporting that his car was hit while parked in front of our house, when in actual fact he had slid into a parked car). Rob was extremely irritable this morning when I woke him up and I had to prod him repeatedly to get cleaned up and dressed for court. He kept stopping to play video games. He was highly agitated about his appearance during the drive to the courthouse, he hated his shirt and his pants were too tight due to a recent weight gain. Once we arrived at the courthouse he settled down, at least outwardly.
The judge reviewed his sentencing options with Rob, which included 90 days in the detention center, $250 fine, house arrest, probation, work program, and some other things that I can't remember. Rob plead "true" to the charge, and when he was given the opportunity he apologized for his stupidity. The judge gave him four 8 hour Saturday work days in May, cleaning up a nearby public beach and I had to pay another $90 for the fine and court costs.
We were very relieved with this outcome - really the best of all possible scenarios. When we were leaving the courtroom, Rob wondered aloud why the judge seemed to like him and let him off easy. The judge had told him he could see that Rob is a well brought up, good mannered kid who made a mistake, and I repeated that to him.
What Rob did not know was that I had sent a letter to this judge two weeks ago.
Dear Magistrate Judge:
My son, Rob, is scheduled to stand before you on April 24, 2007 at 8:00 a.m. in regards to a charge of misdemeanor falsification.
The purpose of my letter is to bring to your attention a pertinent fact without my son’s knowledge. Robert has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. While this does not excuse his behavior relevant to this hearing, he is at a significant risk of suicide ideation due to his illness. He is under a doctor’s care, is medication compliant, and has been much more stable in recent months, however as recently as December 2006 he has made suicide attempts.
I do not want my son to think that his disorder is an excuse for bad behavior, which is why I do not want to bring his illness to your attention in the courtroom. He understands, and I understand that there are consequences for his actions. My concern is that, in the event he is considered for placement in the juvenile detention center (although I don’t believe that is customary with a misdemeanor such as this), that you are made aware that he must be considered a suicide risk so that appropriate precautions are taken.
Your consideration of this information is very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Anonymous Mom
I don't know if this letter had any impact on the judge's decision, and he did not mention it at all during the hearing. It's entirely possible he never received it. Realistically, I never thought Rob would be sentenced to the detention center - but I was very worried that things could go very wrong, and I wanted to at least have a chance to bring it to the judge's attention without Rob knowing about it.