Children learn from their experiences, just like adults do.

That reality has prompted Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten to consider a vastly different approach to handling youth offenders.

On numerous occasions of late, sheriff’s deputies have responded to fights among students at Natchez High School, some brazenly starting fights directly in front of sheriff’s deputies.

Patten believes some of the youth are experienced enough with the procedures of Adams County Youth Court to simply be working the system. Often youth court releases youth offenders into the custody of the school or the offender’s parents.

Patten has taken a different approach. He takes them to the adult jail, though segregates them from adult inmates. The tactic is intended to show the children — though some are nearly grown in the eyes of the law — just how serious a life of crime can be.

The change also is aimed at making the offender’s parents be inconvenienced by having to physically go to the sheriff’s office to have their sons or daughters released.

While the change is drastic, we think it’s certainly worth trying. Something has to change if students will openly fight with law enforcement officers present. These students lack respect for the law, for other students and for themselves.

Early reports indicate the new approach may be working as Patten said no youth offender he’s handled that way has returned, yet.

We applaud Patten and his deputies for trying another tack and we hope it continues to be successful.