Court orders problem child to forfeit Wii, will return it if he behaves

Forget ’scared straight’ — if you want to keep troubled youth on the right track, you’ve got to hit ‘em where it hurts.

According to The Winnipeg Sun, that’s the thinking of judge Marvin Garfinkle, who opted to grant a troublesome 12-year-old boy bail on condition that he surrenders his beloved Nintendo Wii to the court.

“He is pledging as a security, akin to a cash deposit, his Nintendo Wii,” Garfinkle told the paper. “And if he doesn’t comply, he loses it.”

By “comply,” the judge means “keeping the peace, appearing for court dates, living with his grandmother and participating in a bail management program.” Failure to uphold any of those duties will result in forfeiture of the console.

The odd punishment represents the last ditch effort to curb the boy’s bad behavior, which includes smashing windows at his elementary school, fighting with classmates, disobeying a court order to stay away from school, and attacking a teacher after a game of dodgeball.

Despite the rough resume, the boy’s lawyer thinks he’s simply misunderstood.

“I know it doesn’t look good,” Serena Puranen told The Sun. “I’ve never seen him enraged, I’ve never seen him upset. He’s a 12-year-old who is generally quite scared.” – Videogames