You should open your eyes a little to what is really going on in your country. Mass incarceration is a for profit business in this country. Aside from private for profit prisons, many corporations use forced (slave) labor to make products for cheap. So why not lock up that kid for carrying an ounce of weed so he can have a criminal record for the rest of his life and never have a chance at a real future?

I highly recommend watching the documentary '13th' on Netflix. While that focuses on the racial aspect of prisons, it's still an eye opener into the justice system in America, or better yet the injustice system.