> gave me kind slaps on the wrist compared to what they could/should have

I think that slaps on the writs that lead to adjusted member of society are waaay better then felony crimes charges that lead to life of in-out of prison with much harder way to integrate.

People who are treated like you was have overall much better results then people who have book thrown on them as youg.

I genuinely dislike troublesome teenagers, but I also think that your story is a success story of the "dont destroy them" approach.