A Tall Order
3 hours ago
Tuesday, 9 October 2012
If only she really meant it...
'Victims of crime will be able to decide how offenders are punished, under new proposals outlined by Home Secretary Theresa May today.'
Telegraph
(Too much to hope, I suppose, that she will follow in the footsteps of Peter Lilley and favour delegates with a spot of 'The Mikado'.)
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Victims of crime are too emotional and irrational to be involved in any part of the punishment process.
ReplyDeleteThe courts do need to man up a bit, but victims will just be calling for the death penalty all the time.
Bucko, good to hear from you; hope all's well.
ReplyDeleteWell, yes, if we're going to be serious about it, May's idea would give victims of low-level crime a 'menu' to choose from as an alternative to the current suspended sentence/caution/curfew etc so the harshness of the punishment would be limited.
My concern, actually, goes the other way; since this is likely to apply to the sort of vandalism and petty crime that abounds in certain estates, how likely are you to insist on the full weight of the law if the perpetrator's friends and relations are likely to pay you or your loved ones a visit to help you 'decide'?
As any inner-city teacher will tell you, we are long past the days when a family would chastise their own child for breaking the rules - or allow anyone else to do so.
That's a good point, but since the menu from which they will be choosing will range the gamut from 'nothing' to 'almost nothing' I doubt anyone will be getting that worked up...
ReplyDeleteOne might argue that the only 'benefit' of this legislation would be if Bucko were right - it might be more of a deterrent to serious crime if you knew that, rather than a judge with a reputation for leniency, it would be a distraught and vengeful victim or relative deciding what would be done with you.
ReplyDeleteOut of the question, of course - except for some...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qisas
Of course she doesn't mean it; it's just dog-whistle stuff for the benefit of "Disgusted of Godalming" who is dallying with the idea of voting UKIP.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly the pish about restricting movement of EU nationals, not subsidising windmills so much, and so on.
None of it would be allowed by their masters in Brussels, as they all well know. It'll all be forgotten a week after the conference.
WY, interesting to think that UKIP might have them genuinely rattled...
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