Local cemetery was damaged 2 nights ago. Lots of flowers strewn around, but some tombstones and planters broken. It will be costly to repair, and the local folks are outraged. Local PD catches the actors, and they are both 9 years old. Both are well known to agencies. Doubtful if any restitution could be paid by the juveniles families, but some might be possible. CPS has been notified. Any suggestions on something to do with these kids or their parents? Just brainstroming here.

Tough situation! Sounds like several weeks of hoeing weeds and picking up rocks etc. over the summer vacation might be in order but the age of the offenders may cause a problem.
Good luck with trying to find a way to instill respect into a society that loses more and more with each generation...
Just curious, are the parents defending the kids or trying to assist in rectifying the behavior? Too often, it appears to be the prior.

I had a rash of these a while back. They are usually committed by young, bored kids who think it somehow shows courage to mess with a grave. The victims literally want blood. It is a very personal violation that causes great anxiety and anger. They are almost universally upset with the result of the case because they want the defendant to go to prison for the rest of his life. I would suggest something that causes the kid to understand this, if possible. Simple answer: make him go fix the damage with the victims present, if you can. Let him see who he has hurt. I'm not sure of what you can make a 9 year old do, but this kid needs to be shown the consequences of his acts.

Besides the Star Program and CPS, I don't think there is much that can be done if the parents do not cooperate. It is a little far fetched, but I guess the victims of the crimes could sue the children's parents. If things do not get any better after they turn ten, could this incident be brought to the court's attention at a disposition after a future adjudication where you wanted more than SL3?

9 year olds? Good gracious, I never left the house without my parents knowing where I was, how they could reach me, and when I'd be home at 9 years old. In fact, I think there were very few occasions that I was out of their line of sight at 9 years old.

How about setting up a meeting, where the kids could literally fix the damage (hoeing, weeding, mending) while family members told the children heartwarming stories of how special their family member was. How sad that these children don't know that type of love and devotion!