From the comments section...
“However, it is a disservice to all young men and women to say that they are ‘THUGS’ or anything else, they are children, who need guidance and support to right their wrong.”
I need to know if it is possible to ‘right their wrong’.
I’m dealing with a somewhat similar situation.
My first instinct is to be George and take Lennie for a walk in the woods,
yet the familial relation and my love of the Creator
leads me to think I have some responsibility both to ensure it never happens again
and to help guide the offender to a productive life in spite of the heavy guilt being carried.
Is there any hope of redemption, of atonement for a grievous act such as this?
It twists my insides that the victim’s family has forgiven the perpetrator,
but I can’t seem to find forgiveness in my own heart.
What is my responsibility? Is there hope? How can I ever forgive or trust this person?
Can’t advise. I have seen this before up close and personal. It never has worked out well.
Their life style is not compatible with that of successful civil society. They don’t fit and probably can’t be corrected because they don’t think they are wrong. That and it is in their genes I’m afraid.
You can’t ruin your on life for someone who has already ruined theirs. You don’t owe that if you have tried to help. This is off the cuff but considered before and I’ve taken a lot of flak for it. I told one person with willful child that would never straighten up that I would take him to the desert with a canteen and a bit of food and tell him that I loved him and hoped he would make it out and make something of himself but to never come back to my door. Bye.
I would probably not let him die but I’d let him get mighty close to it. I would plan and provision that he should not. He would hate me but he might change. I would not let him ruin my life and more importantly the life of anyone in the family who is trying to do right.
Hard, very hard but who made the choice? Don’t there have to be consequences? Isn’t there a time when you have done all you can?