As kids return to the University of Georgia this week, they need to remember some basic rules: don't jaywalk, don't act like an idiot downtown and don't, fercryingoutloud walk around with an open container. You very well might end up in jail.
For years, school officials and townies have tried to rid UGA of its party school reputation. Handcuffs are often the answer. And with the drinking age at 21, perhaps two-thirds of the 27,000 undergrads are underage. Think that will stop them from drinking?
Think again. Fake IDs are rampant, and those attending the nation's No. 8 party school (ranking by Princeton Review) are going to find a way to get in on the action. That means Athens cops and campus police are going to stay busy. In 2010, more than 1,000 underage imbibers went to jail. Now it's down to about 600, still way more than in other Georgia college towns.
Critics say the lock-'em-up approach alienates students from police and gives young people a criminal record at a time they are building a future.
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