It's time to stop treating peer-pressured college students like hardened, menacing criminals. Locking up 18 year olds in jail for simply having a drink is absurd and counter-productive. This heavy-handed behavior by the University of Georgia Police and the Athens-Clark County police is uncalled for and unneeded.
Any reasonable person can see that 18 year olds busted for drinking are not a danger to society and do not belong behind bars for any amount of time. 18 year olds who are drinking ALONG WITH SOME DANGEROUS ACTIVITY such as driving, jaywalking, fighting, etc. perhaps deserve to be apprehended, depending on the situation. However, a student busted for simply having a few drinks is not a threat to the community and should not be considered a criminal.
It's time police officers, lawmakers, and college administrators accept the fact that drinking will ALWAYS happen among college students. Instead of singling out a few unlucky students each night and severely punishing them for something as common and widespread as drinking, we as a society should consider some alternatives.
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