[Sweet_Sunflower29]

I think what the mother was inferring is that having her son be anally raped, and possibly infected with HIV, for a drinking offense is a fairly strong penalty.

OK, yes, I see the point. However, this particular comment, where the mother states-

He should never have been in jail and to have this happen because of a mistake only magnifies the situation.

To me sounds as she believes her son can be assigned by the court some sort of program requiring specific conditions, [perhaps in exchange for no jail time, but I'm just guessing] remain in non-compliance, in this case by not taking the class he was required to attend, and not face any repercussions while doing so.

Trust me, I in NO way think that what happened to the young man was just. At all.
However, hearing his mother say that he should have never been in jail is just too much for me to stomach.

When I was 19, I had a scrape with the law. /blush>
As it was my first [and last] offense, I was offered a chance at the pre-prosocution probation program. To avoid jail time, I had to admit my guilt, remain in city limits, and visit a probation officer for a year. If I failed to comply, my admission of guilt secured me jail time.

I complied, knowing the consiquence awaiting me if I didn't. All I'm saying is that the mother really is stretching if this young mans' situation is at all similar to mine.
And it is sad what did happen to him, but unfortunately, had her son chose to comply with the court, this also may not have happened.

And now you know my dirty lil' secret. /grin>

[Drew68]

However, hearing his mother say that he should have never been in jail is just too much for me to stomach.

It is quite possible that the mother made this statement to a reporter under at least a little bit of duress. After all, her son had just been cornholed by a big black thug. She probably didn't really think about her comments.