Eric Perez broke the law. The law dictates that he should go into custody for his parole violation. He had been smoking an illegal kind of tobacco.
But the punishment for smoking marijuana is not death, but death was what he got.
He was denied medical attention for hours when he complained of pain and by the time the staff intervened it was too late to save him.
The question is now whether the authorities are able to cover this story up. After the terrible video of a boy dying in a boot camp a new legislation has been put into place. Now the public can be denied knowledge of what is going on inside prisons, boarding schools or boot camps.
While Eric Perez was an offender he ws also a citizens with some kind of potential if he at some time would deal with his addiction and it is important to know that every drug user has this potential at some point in their life when they are ready. You cannot force a drug user to change his or her life, but you can offer them to come back for help when they are ready.
But Eric Perez was not given the opportunity to reach out for help when he was ready. He was denied life instead and for that someone now has to pay. It is the only option if you want to call a society civil.
Source:
Grand jury to probe teen’s death in Palm Beach County juvenile lockup (by Carol Marbin Miller, The Miami Herald, August 2, 2011