> There is no way justice would be served by convicting the son of auto theft if the owner of the vehicle
The vehicle was either taken with permission, or without permission.
You don't get to launder responsibility by doing crime using someone else's stuff.
> Fines or jail time for a DUI conviction with no evidence of actual harm resulting from the event is already pushing the boundaries of a rationally justifiable, proportional response.
No, it's not. This isn't the 60s anymore. Every time you drive drunk, you are playing Russian roulette with the lives of everyone around you. It's gross disregard for human life. It's going out onto the street, loading a gun, closing your eyes, spinning in a circle, and pulling the trigger.
If you're an idiot minor whose teenage brain cannot bridge the concepts of cause and effect, as with most crimes, some leniency can be expected, but in the general case, this is an incredibly serious thing.
The vehicle was either taken with permission, or without permission.
You don't get to launder responsibility by doing crime using someone else's stuff.
> Fines or jail time for a DUI conviction with no evidence of actual harm resulting from the event is already pushing the boundaries of a rationally justifiable, proportional response.
No, it's not. This isn't the 60s anymore. Every time you drive drunk, you are playing Russian roulette with the lives of everyone around you. It's gross disregard for human life. It's going out onto the street, loading a gun, closing your eyes, spinning in a circle, and pulling the trigger.
If you're an idiot minor whose teenage brain cannot bridge the concepts of cause and effect, as with most crimes, some leniency can be expected, but in the general case, this is an incredibly serious thing.