Juvenile judge proposes garden project

MOUNT VERNON — Citing a shortage of traditional funds for traditional summer programs for juvenile offenders, Knox County Probate/Juvenile Judge James M. Ronk proposed a different idea to the county commissioners on Thursday.

  • TiptoethrutheTulips

    Unlike alot of others in Knox County, Judge Ronk has a great percepton of reality, and cares about the youth of Knox County. I think it is a great idea for consideraton. While we are at it, why can’t we have the offenders work for the Cat Shelter, or the Dog Pound. Alot of these children as statistics show, have been through some sort of abuse it their lives. A sincere deprivation of moral, and ethical values are instilled in them from neglect by some means. Showing them how to live, love, care, understand, and forgive could lead to a positvive outcome. Moreso over turning them over for more abuse, and throwing them away. While much of you turn your cheeks and neglect your responsibilities to your fellow human beings,……… shamelessly.

    http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/moments-in-america-for-children.html

  • Jim

    The ‘project’ will be somewhere so that it is on display so it can be said by Ronk, “Look what I did”. Put these kids to work cleaning and picking up trash. A small garden will help but one persons ego.

  • Duncan

    JT and Rosemary,

    The reasonable explanation is that they chose raised beds to reduce the problem of soil contamination from parking lot runoff. I wouldn’t want petroleum in the soil I grow my tomatoes in!

  • jt

    i’ve got the answer rosemary. it’s because children are the future.
    so we should take it easy on them. not let them know what debt to
    society they must repay for being a juvenile offender. they obviously already know about
    rules, the law, DISCIPLINE, and all that good stuff because they are juvenile offenders.
    let these kids pay their debt off with some hard work and see who makes the same
    mistake twice. instead of paying some state worker to drive a tractor and mow grass
    on the side of the highway have these kids do it with a weedwhacker or my personal
    favorite a sickle. work with either one for 8 hrs. a day. now that is a life lesson.
    not playing in some flower/vegatable garden for punishment.

    • John C. Davidson

      Some parents will complain that it is cruel and next thing you know, we’ll have the ACLU involved and every other political procrastinator postulating.

  • Rosemary Oswalt

    The gardens is a good idea. But why raised gardens? The undisturbed soil should be fairly fertile so why not roto till it, plant in it. The timbers for a raised garden are expensive and freezing and thawing will create more upkeep, plus the cost of top soil to fill them! Are these kids not able to bend over to plant and weed the garden? I’m 65 years old with back and joint problems but still manage to bend over to work the soil and take care of plants.

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