Judges Warn High School Students About Prom Night Consequences
ST. CHARLES (WBBM) -- Two Kane County judges today gave juniors and seniors at St. Charles East High School the bare-bones truth about possible consequences of bad decision-making on prom night.
Kane County Circuit Court Judges Susan Clancy Boles and Clint Hull talked to students about how a criminal record could follow them wherever they go in life, especially because of the Internet.
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They told students that poor decisions on prom night to drink, do drugs, have sex with someone under 17 years old or to "sext" could lead to arrests, fines, and possible jail time, not to mention making it harder for them to get into college or get a job.
"To say that we're going to change everybody's mind or make them act differently, realistically we know that's not going to happen, but we hope we make them think twice," said Boles.
A student named Jorie says she does not think many students' prom night plans will be altered as a result of the judges' presentation, although she admits some students plans might change.
Another student, Nick, who says his mind was changed by the talk, says drinking alcohol and getting caught aren't worth it.
Outside the school gymnasium was a crushed car that had been involved in a crash involving a teenager who had been drinking alcohol.
At the end of the presentation, the judges showed the picture of a badly disfigured face and body of a young woman who had survived an alcohol-related crash. Many of the students gasped in horror when they saw the picture.
"Prom season, graduation season is supposed to be a great time, memories for the rest of their life … and we want them to be good memories," Hall said.
