The talk-show story of the year: Nine arrests after a teen’s suicide .
This strikes me as a dangerous precedent. The psychology of a suicide often includes a feeling of “I’ll make them all pay.” The thought that you could have your persecutors arrested by killing yourself—wouldn’t that encourage you to do it?
Bullying in school is a bad thing, and the failure of these teachers and parents to be involved is jaw-dropping. But if ever there were a case for manners and morals, rather than law, this is surely it. And is the criminal-justice system the only device we have left for manners and morals?
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