An Ohio judge has ruled that a teen who was accused of planning a mass shooting at a synagogue will write a book report on a World War II hero.
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After reportedly plotting to shoot members of Temple Israel in Canton, the 13-year-old kid was charged with misdemeanor inciting alarm and misdemeanor disorderly conduct. His plan was discussed on Discord, and according to NBC News, the Stark County Sheriff’s Office heard about the alleged scheme on September 1. During his hearing on Friday, the kid pleaded “true,” the juvenile equivalent of guilty, to all counts.
Stalk County Court Judge Jim James, on the other hand, sentenced the boy to a year of probation and ordered him to study a book about Swiss diplomat Carl Lutz, who saved 62,0000 Hungarian Jews during WWII. The teen was also banned from unsupervised internet use, along with mandatory sessions with a therapist. James’ court order became viral on social media as users felt that he should’ve received a harsher punishment for the alleged mass shooter plot.
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One user wrote, “If I was a target or related to a victim that would not feel like any degree of justice or punishment. They shoulda known it was wrong. A book is not cathartic.” The court order was compared to the 10-year-old Mississippi boy who was given three months probation for urinating in public.
Ohio’s sentencing policy for juveniles is a complex system with different options depending on the nature of the offense, the age of the juvenile, and other factors. For minor offenses, the court may use informal adjustments like warnings, counseling, or community service without any formal record.
For more serious offenses or repeated violations, the court can commit the juvenile to the Department of Youth Services (DYS), a state-run residential facility for rehabilitation and education. Commitment lengths vary based on the offense and age of the juvenile but usually range from months to years.