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Isn't it nice to know how well your taxes are being used.


Bugsy
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When I was a young cop, I bought ten cigarettes for a man who was locked in the cells at our police station because I felt sorry for him. A few months later, my pregnant wife and I were in a local pub for Sunday lunch when he walked in with his mates, saw us there, stared at me for a moment, then walked over and bought us both a drink. He said my simple gesture had made him realise that not all coppers were b......s. He then told me he was trying hard to reform. I wish I knew how he was getting on today.

Later in my career (not connected with the above), I was beaten up by a man as I tried to arrest his son for indecent exposure. His argument was that his son was trying to reform and 'the filth' would not leave him alone because he had 'flashed' once before. I did arrest him eventually and he was convicted. He received help with his problem. In the years that followed, he was convicted on three separate occasions of stranger rape. With each of these offences, he had hid himself away and waited for his victim, beat her up and then raped her. Between each of the offences he received all the help available. In my opinion, he should have been locked up for life after the first attack.       

 

 

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Surely, what society has to do first is take crime and punishment out of the political dynamic?

Since 1979, the UK has suffered what can only really be described as a crime epidemic; WIlliam Whitelaw made stirring promises as Thatcher's first Home Secretary: and failed to actually achieve anything!

And thereafter, crime and punishment have been politically driven by as Patrick states, soundbites.

My personal perspective is compassion for those who honestly need and deserve it: we, as a society just have to accept that a rapidly increasing raft of people live in appalling conditions of deprivation: not perhaps just in a material sense, but deprived from a proper balanced family, love, respect and above all else, opportunity. The US model can be synthesised to realise how crime and violence in deprived communities begats crime.

All this said, I take issues with the bleeding heart, Ivory Tower dwelling liberal do-gooders over one core issue: not every criminal can be reformed. perhaps 10% (who honestly knows?) are genuinely sociopathic.

These are the sub-humans who pour petrol over tramps; physically abuse others to death and etc.They cannot be "Reformed"; they must be incarcerated to protect society.

Thus we have three facets to the dynamic of crime and punishment.

Punishment: Re-Education: Prevention. The three are not necessarily mutually exclusive, nor are they mutually inclusive!

As Western society spins ever more into the great divide between the Haves and the Have Nots, we must logically expect ever-greater levels of crime, caused by frustration from being excluded; desperation for identity and so on.

However, surely, we need to sort out this rapidly growing problem? Locking kids of 16 and 17 up with already hardened criminals means they are attending university. And once their sentence is seved, we need massive effort to find them work, find them suitable accommodation and perhaps above all else, fellowship of caring people, rather than see them degenerate into association again with the "Wrong Crowd"; which will inevitably spin them down into re-offending.

I personally hate the excuse ridden justification for everything, these days: you know, "It was not my fault I destroyed your car: I was drunk and under the influence of Class A drugs at the time!"

"Oh, well that's all right then!"

However, that said, one of the greatest causes of juvenile crime is without doubt the absence of a stable family. So many kids only have one parent: who works the clock round, perhaps, or is a social drop out perhaps.

When I was asked to run a major urban social and economic regeneration project, a few years back I was totally staggered to visit an area of very bad social housing and see just how bad conditions actually were. OK, the demographics I was given - and studied - told me a lot. The actuality was so depressing and thought provoking, however.

By the way Pat: I do hope you have a certificate of origin for the fur your sporran is made from! Or you will be the next criminal to be banged up! [:D]

Anyone else picked up on this latest inanity of law making?

 

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Almost ten out of ten, gluestick, you only failed on the bit at the end about sporrans, and frankly I'm surprised at you.

It is, as you surely know, because traditionally they have included otter and badger fur in their manufacture which now has to be shown to have been obtained legally, it's an EU agreement to prevent the illegal use of protected species.

Otherwise, excellent post.[:D]

Chris

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Don't get me wrong, Chris. I am totally against killing animals for any form of non-essential human vanity, or other reason.

I do feel however that singling out one product is a bit OTT. If use of such animal fur is illegal, then that's it and it should be up to the manufacturer to ensure their product and source of raw materials complies.

Same can be said for Badger Bristle in shaving brushes. Which are still available in London with bone handles in leather cases in certain shops.

And really I was only teasing Patmobile as he looks  pretty astounding in his full Scottish fig!

 

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""And really I was only teasing Patmobile as he looks  pretty astounding in his full Scottish fig!""

I know that, I was just taking advantage of it whilst complementing your excellent post, but there was no way you were getting ten out of ten, that would go against the grain with me, I'd take the complement and run before I change my mind.[:D]

Chris

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[quote user="Gluestick"]

By the way Pat: I do hope you have a certificate of origin for the fur your sporran is made from! Or you will be the next criminal to be banged up! [:D]

Anyone else picked up on this latest inanity of law making?

[/quote]

My sporran is cowhide leather - not furry - so no licence needed I hope. 

I don't see that there's a greater divide between haves and have nots now than ever before.  Quite the reverse I would have thought.  Nowadays, in Britain, anyway, you have the haves and the have mores.  There was far more real poverty and need in Britain when my father was a young man than there is now, yet there was less crime.  I suspect very few criminals these days are motivated by need. 

 

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