Punishment to fit the crime

[Lonnie]

Following on from muellin3s post, i'd like to know, what punishment do think this person should get. Personally, i'd just hang him, he could'nt re-commit then, but i'd like to know what other ABers think.

[cliffsdoll]

i would'nt hang rapists or murderers because that would be too quick and easy for them, i think to keep them locked up for the rest of their lives to really make them suffer, not with luxury most prisoners have, i mean locked in a small cell 20 hours a day with nothing but a bed and a p*** bucket, basic rations and no visitors, to prolong their life and make them suffer, thats what i say.

[GSM7554]

just let the women have them for a hour,see how much is left of them at the end

[Coobeastie]

Hanging is only quick if done correctly. If you do it wrong it can take quite a while for the person to die.

Good idea to put them in solitary but it means we'll be footing the bill to keep them alive.

[Goodsoulette]

I agree I do not want to pay for them to live!!! If I thought a single penny i earnt paid for them to eat or have an ounce of comfort id (if I could), stop paying tax.

My thoughts really are with the family, as a parent I can only imagine how they must feel.

How do these monsters meet up? If there was capital punishment for raping toddlers maybe they would have thought twice about it. I think a congratulations on catching the culprits so quickly is in order. I hope the police are treating em badly.

[sp1814]

Goodsoulette

You hope the police are treating them badly? Are we assuming that they've been tried and convicted yet?

I totally feel for the family involved. If it were my child, I'd want them to suffer for a long time. Really, really suffer - mentally and physically. But this is why we have the laws and judicial processes that we do have.

It's to stop people like me...like us descending to the level of barbarians.

By the way, being locked away is fun and most prisoners do not enjoy what we would call luxuries.

[sp1814]

Just to clarify something...I don't think that child rapists can be cured. The problem is, we have to distinguish between different categories of crime - should we have the same punishments for sexual abuse, rape and child rape/murder?

You could argue that someone who commits serious sexual abuse against a minor should (say) serve ten to fifteen years in prison. I'd go along with that...but what happens when they come out?

Should all child sex offenders be put away for the rest of their lives? You could argue that this is the only way we can truly protect kids...to have no distinction between categories of child sex crimes.

[Peter Pedant]

as a bleeding heart liberal,

can we please remember, jjust a bit, before you all shout me down, that someone is not guilty because they have been charged.

and while you are thinking the Great Thought - the Police have been in the past, and will be in the future wrong at various times......

we might reflect that capital punishment has not been used for non capital crimes since 1861

[Goodsoulette]

obviously im assuming they are guilty.

I acually cried when I heard a 3 yr old had been raped and believe prison is luxury compared to being raped when you ar a kid, let alone a toddler.

[Goodsoulette]

Seeing as everyone wants to pay for these kind of offenders to live how about we dont put them in prison we brand them. On the face, of course and put a chip inside them, like you do a dog

[sp1814]

What angers me more than anything else - is that whoever committed the crime were quite happy to ruin this family for the rest of their lives.

That's what really bothers me. Remember those kids who decided that for a laugh, they'd kick a gay bloke to death?

For me, it's the same thing...people who have no regard for fellow human beings.

[Clanad]

A recent study here in the U.S. found that it actually cost a great deal more to execute a prisoner than it did to house him/her for a natural life time of perhaps 40 years. This is due, primarily, to the extensive and time consuming legal appeal process here. Perhaps it's different in the U.K.
I have mixed emotions on the subject and could argue both ways... except for the numerous prisoners released here within the recent past found to be innocent by virtue of DNA testing. In some cases they had been on death row for several years and had the appeal process not been lengthy, they would have been executed yet innocent. I haven't figured out a way to overcome that possibility...

[don1]

Your post is correct Clannad if the case of Charles Ng is anything to go by. I watched a documentary about this piece of garbage it cost the American taxpayers $20 million dollars up to the guilty verdict, and it is estimated that it will cost the same again before he is executed.

[ursula62]

Perhaps we should bear in mind that prison is not regarded as a punishment. It is supposed to be an opportunity for rehabilitation. A place where you pay your debt to society by giving up your freedom and time, and hopefully learn the skills to play a part in society on release.

[cliffsdoll]

ursula62, if prison is'nt a punishment then it shouls be made a real punishment that puts fear into would be rapist/murderers, this country is too soft, we must put out the message that especially where kids are concerned, rape,or murder ect are not accepted, if you harm kids in this way, your life is over and you should be treated worse than stinking rat. kids must be treasured and protected.

[libertie]

As a grandmother of four granddaughters ~ one being a 3yr old I can fully understand the anger and revulsion felt by all decent folk! Having said that though, I would'nt like to see the dealth penalty reintroduced in this country for any crime....I just don't think it's a deterrent and when it came down to it I suspect that most people convicted of this type of crime would'nt face the dealth penalty anyway as no doubt their background would be taken into account......sorry your honour but my client was himself abused as a child etc etc.....I would however like to see them imprisoned for a very long time and don't mind if my taxes have to help pay for it!!

[libertie]

The fact that this wee mite was abducted makes this particular case all the more horrendous, but lets not forget the hundreds of children in this counttry who are raped day and daily by members of their own family....fathers, brothers, uncles should we hang all of them as well!?

[johnlambert]

Hang them and hang them high, however that's not going to happen, ursula62 is correct in that the purpose of prison is to rehabilitate rather than to punish. Eventualy these scum will be freed back into society (thank you European Paerliament for the human rights act) and will be able to carry out their vile act on other children. At least if they are dead then they cant hurt anyone again, (an argument I used in my capital punishment right or wrong thread).

Lets hear all the wishy/ washy bleeding heart social workers wring their hands and cry out in anguish about how they (the rapists and potential child killers) should be pitied, cared for and protected at the tax payers expence.

[ursula62]

cliffsdoll - I wasn't saying what I think. I was stating the purpose of modern prisons. It's a fact that prison is not regarded as a punishment. The punishment is the removal of freedom, not the time spent in the prison itself. It makes sense to have happy contented prisoners as they are less likely to riot or make trouble for those employed to mind them.

I have family members that work in the prison service and they regularly come home with tales of what they call the "high life" in prisons - OK people are locked up, sometimes for 23 out of 24 hours a day, which could appear a punishment in itself. But they are given endless leisure opportunities, e.g. OU courses at the tax payers' expense whereas my family members regularly work such crippling shift hours that they cannot possibly take an OU course, even if they earned enough to pay for them. Apparently Myra Hindley had taken 7 OU degrees during her life imprisonment.

[mullein3]

HARD LABOUR..no treats no luxury food ..television entertainment of any sort or access to computers as we may find them lurking on this site!! securely locked up in solitary till they go to hell..even that sounds too good..I have decided the death sentance would be too nice for them its the easy way out!! just think these men may have familys of their own and at the end of the day they are also someones child..glad they arent mine!! unfortunately they will be lodging at our expense if convicted and enjoying every luxury available...grrrrr

[Kay]

As I've previously stated. Baby rapers should be hung,drawn and quartered! 2 of the men have now been released leaving just the younger rapist and mutilator inside with no conditions for bail. They were all in the car together with the police on their tails whilst the toddler was being raped. They had no fear of the police whatsoever! In some respects re jailing maggots like these, why not follow some eastern countries rules?. When a criminal is jailed its up to the family to feed him/her and buy soaps,etc. If not,the criminal is given just bread and water and left to stink!!!!