A very controversial subject for this week’s Thinking Thursday...but one I’d like to cover...and may need to come back to as time, circumstances and people change.
The last execution in the UK (by hanging) took place in 1964...this was prior to capital punishment being abolished for murder which happened in 1969 in Great Britain and 1973 for Northern Ireland...but yet the funny thing is...the death penalty remained on the statute book for certain offenses right up until 1998.
Now when you look at the history of this within England it would seem we used to use the death penalty for quite a lot... some 220 crimes to be precise... including... ‘being in the company of gypsies for one month’! Between 1770 and 1830, 35000 death penalty sentences were handed down but only 7000 were carried out.
Prisons did exist albeit very small and badly run... and in my eyes... no wonder... there was a real threat for the offender...something that made the average criminal think more than twice about committing a crime..if you knew there was a chance you would be executed because of it then I would imagine you might seek a straighter path.
It was the Victorians who decided that prison was the answer and that prison life should be somewhat uncomfortable and unpleasant...quite right too if you ask me. Since this was decided, the number of prisons has grown and quite naturally, so has the number of inmates mainly because they no longer feared being executed.
Fast forward to 2011 and what do we have? We have a society that bows down to these minorities and gives them a life of perceived luxury. 3 square meals a day, heating, lighting, clothing, education, television...and yet still the inmates bitch and complain...stating their human rights are being breached...I even heard on the radio last week that some inmates were going to court because the prison they were in did not have sky sports 2 & 3 and only sky sports 1. Are you having a Turkish pal? (for those not familiar with cockney rhyming slang.... Turkish Bath...laugh). I mean seriously...you committed a crime punishable by prison and all you can do is waste more tax payers money in legal aid fighting the government so you can watch football? Get a grip...man up...do something else more creative with your time....learn new skills that would enable you to contribute to society legally in some way.
We’d also do well to learn from the mistakes of the American judicial system when it comes to the death penalty. There it seems that people can be on death row for year after year after year. What is the point in that? Surely that’s just a drain on society and resources? Dragging it out seems a waste of time...and grants the criminal the joy of life and a degree of comfort.
So I ask myself...do I agree with the death penalty? In most cases no...in certain cases yes...let me explain. When there is any doubt what so ever I believe that everyone, including the defendant should be given every opportunity to clear their name until such time that the evidence can be considered conclusive and without question. If the evidence is unequivocal, guilty beyond a shadow of doubt...even a signed confession and DNA proof...then I’m afraid I would have to say that for me...the death penalty should be given...but before you all hurl a barrage of abuse at me...let me explain within which circumstances i’m referring to.
I’m not talking about theft, manslaughter (when you didn’t mean to kill) or any petty crimes that can be dealt with via other means (I’ll give my views on those in a minute)...I’m talking out and out cold blooded murder...or offenses involving child abuse and molestation. There are cases where the convicted has no remorse, is not sorry, enjoyed it, meant to do it, and would do it again if let out...and openly admits to this on camera and in writing.
In my humble opinion...it is this minority of society that do not deserve to be kept alive. They have done irreparable damage to society and must pay accordingly. They would simply do themselves and others further harm if allowed to be reintegrated in to society. Controversially, I do not believe rehabilitation is worthwhile on them. That should be saved for those that genuinely are sorry but felt they had no other choice and just need a guiding hand in life.
Speaking of which...I mentioned the lesser crimes...how would I deal with them? Well, the bottom line is that they still broke the law to the point that the judicial system felt it necessary to imprison them...it’s not like it’s a one off petty offence right.
Well firstly, we have get a grip on reality within the prisons themselves. If you are sentenced to prison for any period, then my view would be that you forgo all your human rights...otherwise what’s the point? Take away TV’s, PlayStations, X-Boxes, Sky, Mobile phones, and every other luxury that even some of our law abiding citizens cannot afford.
They must be made to face up to their actions and in some cases, the people they harmed in the process. As part of their punishment, they should be made to perform duties in the public eye and be noticed i.e. made to wear clothing that identifies them as criminals. They should be made to clean up towns and cities, clear river banks, clean public toilets and perform gardening duties to keep our towns and cities tidy. If they prove themselves as being hard working and actually want to change then perhaps tradesmen could take them on, unpaid, to perform labouring duties to start with, but with a view to learning the trade for themselves. Rather them be taught in the workplace than the taxpayer having to pay for people to teach them in prison where they simply demolish what they built...a waste of time and materials!
The argument that you can’t humiliate them by making them wear orange suits because it’s in breach of their human rights is utter garbage. The law abiding citizens and the victims of crime need to see that criminals are being made to pay for their actions and not just given a free stay in a hotel at the expense of the tax payer.
The criminal needs to fear the consequences of their actions rather than repeat offending because they actually want to be sent back inside because it provides them with a better quality of life. There are hard working, law abiding people in this world that do not commit offenses and yet cannot afford the luxuries that inmates get in a lot of our prisons.
Our ‘tagging’ system seems laughable...people get sent home with a tag around their ankle and yet still seem to go around causing trouble and ignore their curfews. I’m not sure how to tackle this one, but perhaps we could devise a more serious tagging system. One that gives them an electric shock or worse if they are not within close proximity of their home by a certain time...i’m thinking of the film ‘The Running Man’ ...where any inmate that breached the perimeter after it was activated, had their head blown off...a little harsh...but yet proves a point...don’t commit a crime...and if you do...the consequences are serious.
My closing thoughts would be that the general public are fed up with the way things are, they feel that the government is weak in tackling crime, do not support the victims enough, and the deterrents in place are laughable. Perhaps we could have a deal with Africa where we send them out criminals to help build houses, work the land, build schools...anything that could help our world’s poorest achieve some sort of comfortable life...poverty, starvation and death in these 3rd world countries might be reduced...you never know...but at least the tax payer would feel that criminals are actually contributing to society.
So...rant over...and like I said, I’m likely to revisit this one from time to time as I learn more, as the government’s policies change or my views are changed by some other influence. I’m open to debate and influence...my views are my views based on what I know now...so if you have something to add...i’m all ears.
No comments:
Post a Comment