GirlsGuideTo | WTF? An Eye for an Eye - A Ponytail for a Ponytail?

How would you sentence a 13-year-old girl for cutting the hair of a 3-year-old? (Yes, someone did that…)

Kaytlen Lopan was charged with assault after she and a friend cut several inches of hair from the head of a 3-year-old girl at a McDonald's, MSNBC reports. Lopan, 13, and her friend, 11, did not know the victim before the McDonald's incident, but had befriended her that day before hacking off her hair (which was apparently too long for her taste).

She was so determined, she even went across the street to buy a pair of scissors when the people at McDonald’s wouldn’t give them to her.

Lopan also admitted to charges related to making eight months of harassing phone calls to a Colorado teenager. The phone calls included threats of mutilation and rape, according to Fox News. Clearly, this girl has some issues.

She was initially sentenced the 13-year-old to pay restitution to the victims, spend 30 days in detention, and serve 276 hours of community service. But then the judge acknowledged that if Lopan were his daughter, he would not want her spending her time with the youth "work crew." So she got a break.

"I will cut [the community service] by 150 hours if you want to cut her hair right now," the judge told Bruno. "I'll go get a pair of scissors and we'll whack that ponytail off."

Despite agreeing to the cut, Lopan’s mother is now filing a formal complaint against the judge. "I felt very intimidated. An eye for an eye, that's not how you teach kids right from wrong."

Our verdict: WTF? Why not cut her hair? Clearly this girl is very immature – what 13-year-old cuts a random kid’s hair because “it’s too long?” I think this teaches her that her actions have consequences. This type of punishment, called a “shame punishment,” is becoming much more popular (see: parents who publicly punish their kids on Facebook), but this is the first time I’ve heard about it from the legal system

I don’t really think this girl’s mom has a leg to stand on by filing a complaint against the judge. Honestly, there should be a complaint against her, since she isn’t doing her job…allowing harassing phone calls and all of that.

Do you think the “shame punishment” works? Is it something we should keep doing?

Comments

Posted by Anonymous on June 26, 2012 at 11:17 AM

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Agreed, bet she'll think twice. I would have let the 3 year old decide how short - or do it herself. That'd really be a lesson lol!

Posted by Anonymous on June 26, 2012 at 11:08 AM

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BRAVO!! That 13 year old has major issues which indicates to me that drastic measures are required to deal with her insolence and teach her a lesson she won't forget so bravo to the judge!! Yes an eye for an eye- I am a firm believer in that justice. Well done judge.

Posted by Anonymous on June 26, 2012 at 10:22 AM

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I think is is funny and she prolly had it coming because that is the weirdest thing...but doing the longer work sentence might have straightened her out and taught her even more. I'm not a huge fan of the parents, or in this case judges, who humiliate kids (let's face it, 13 is still a kid).