Thanks, s_e, for reintroducing the idea of hope. I'm not feeling too hopeful right now.

I hate the police and the criminal justice system. It has nothing to offer in this situation. It's just going to catch him up in a series of pointless activities from which he'll gain nothing.

As they took him away, in hand cuffs, he says to me, "So, I guess you got what you wanted." It angers me, because I've been trying so hard to help. The thing is, if anyone else would have said that I'd have thought it was bravado - or at the very least that on further reflection they would see how their actions contributed to the situation. My son, however, will never "get it." In his mind he's the victim.

I need him to understand that no matter how justified he believes himself to be, he cannot ever ever ever hit me.