Severe Punishment Averted In Palisades Park School Brawl
PALISADES PARK, NJ (WCBS 880) - In the end, a 19-year-old didn't get probation or even community service for punching a fellow student last year in Palisades Park High School cafeteria.
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The judged fined Dong Sung An $256.
"It may, at least in part, reflect this recognition that this is a lot of ado about a relatively minor incident," says Seton Hall criminal law professor Jenny Carroll.
She sees a trend in handling juvenile cases now "with a more formalized response, and by that, I mean actually charging them, criminally in court."
She says we used to lean more towards counseling, pointing out other states have alternative punitive programs for juveniles which offer more counseling.
"But maybe one of the positive things that will come out of this case is people will start thinking about that more and more," she says.
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