Weird spot with friend and possible jailtime

[Jon1000]

i guess i'm in the minority in that I'd definitely lend a good friend the money and possibly-probably lend an ok friend the money if the cash was the only thing preventing him from going to jail. That said, the fact that the guy didn't talk to you himself is pretty weak and probably indicates that you are more acquaintances than friends at all.

I don't think this is any sort of scam b/c I've known people who got put in this spot. And I also think that the intermediary friend is only being minorly douchebaggy. There should be consequences for actions, etc, etc, but I'm guessing this is a fairly young kid, criminal records are really far reaching, and I'm a pretty firm believer in giving people second chances.