59 replies to this topic

[Dave]

Has today's society gone too soft? Whether it's deviant or criminal behaviour, where do Connect members stand regards pain and death to transgressors of norms and laws?

[Griffin]

As things stand at the moment, there is no punishment adequate to reflect society's abhorrence of crimes like the young woman being burned to death. If anyone is convicted, he will serve a prison sentence, probably similar to that for armed robbery or being a serious drug dealer. As a society, we vituperate about all sorts of comparatively trivial issues, but seem to have lost the moral authority to punish and deter in a manner commensurate with the seriousness of the crime. Not so much a case of being soft, maybe, but of being hardened through exposure to horror and violence in the media.

[Alan]

I think the question goes much deeper. What should be the motive in sentencing? Rehabilitation and reform, deterrence against a repetition or an eye for an eye type of punishment?

[dogsbody]

If he does get caught he will claim deminished responsability and do 5yrs or less. this is the guy in the burning case!.

Edited by dogsbody, 13 June 2007 - 05:30 PM.

[familyman]

Alan, on Jun 13 2007, 05:41 PM, said:

.... deterrence against a repetition ........

Give 'em the death penalty and they won't do it again.

[Dave D]

The motive in sentencing should be to prevent recurrences of the event that took place. However with our soft judiciary along with weak and lenient sentencing we have no chance of reform or rehabilitation in most cases .Punishment should mean just that not snuggled up in a cosy room with colour television and god knows loads of other creature comforts at tax payers expense there should be in Hard Labour Camps without any creature comforts at all and put to work for the good of all the community

[Dave]

I think that case (the burned girl) could only be cold blooded murder. It could hardly be thought of as a crime of passion or done on the spur of the moment due to some kind of rage. Anyway, there's already a topic for that subject.

[Carr Millite]

Alan, on Jun 13 2007, 05:41 PM, said:

I think the question goes much deeper. What should be the motive in sentencing? Rehabilitation and reform, deterrence against a repetition or an eye for an eye type of punishment?

I agree Alan.
I do think our laws need an overhaul regarding sentencing and sooner rather than later. I have no doubt that some offenders can be rehabilitated and resources should be available for this. I've never believed in an eye for an eye and never will and the issue of repetition is a problem I'm not sure there's an answer to. I suppose it depends on the offence. Anyone guilty of murder after serving a sentence for the same offence should be locked away forever. For sexual offences, especially against children, offenders should be chemically castrated.
More police officers and more widespread use of some types of technology like the instant car recognition database would have the same effect on car crime, disqualified driving etc., as the reduction in card fraud caused by chip and pin.
For what it's worth, 95% of all crime is committed by 5% of people.
So please, don't have nightmares....

Dicko, on Jun 13 2007, 06:38 PM, said:

The motive in sentencing should be to prevent recurrences of the event that took place. However with our soft judiciary along with weak and lenient sentencing we have no chance of reform or rehabilitation in most cases .Punishment should mean just that not snuggled up in a cosy room with colour television and god knows loads of other creature comforts at tax payers expense there should be in Hard Labour Camps without any creature comforts at all and put to work for the good of all the community

I used to think along those lines too Dicko.
The punishment is loss of liberty. Offenders aren't sent to prison to be punished there.

[dogsbody]

Dave, on Jun 13 2007, 06:40 PM, said:

I think that case (the burned girl) could only be cold blooded murder. It could hardly be thought of as a crime of passion or done on the spur of the moment due to some kind of rage. Anyway, there's already a topic for that subject.

I think it covers both topics as an example.

[Dave]

Yes, but this one ranges from smacking to execution for murder most foul and to turn it into another burned girl topic was not the plan.

[dogsbody]

Does murder most foul include burning to death?

[Dave]

Erm... how shall I put this?

The poll and the topic subject are to do with whether or not we think that pain as punishment or death as punishment are appropriate. You are focussing on one case out of billions of crimes which may or may not warrant pain or death as a punishment. Is that good enough as an explanation - or shall I give up?

[eddiedunc]

give up

[dogsbody]

One should never give up or surrender.

[Dave]

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