Post by An Fear Dubh on Sept 8, 2008 21:43:30 GMT
I do agree that the victim is the poor relation in this.
But you need to read my reply 115 again Wasp.
But to highlight some bits that Briege Gadd quoted in that reply,
"She argues against long sentences, and says that the popular phrase 'throw away the key' is a false and misguided concept. Those who believe that locking up all the criminals would solve the issues have not given the proper consideration the facts. She says;
1. Fewer than 10% of all crime gets reported to the police - this is true of all countries.
2. Of that number less than 10% of perpetrators are caught.
So there are huge number of crimes and known criminals undocumented in statistics. [My bit, correct my maths, then - only 1% or is it 0.1% is caught]. So she goes on to say that if this small percentage is locked up and the key throw away, there is still the big percentage out there committing crimes. So it is an impossible strategy to attempt as it has no effect on the total number of crimes.
But she also now compares the statistics from countries like the US who adopt such policies as long sentences. And say that such countries who have high rates of imprisonment also are the same countries with high rates of reported crimes. And a UN survey found that sentencing policies in Europe as a whole are considerably less punitive than in the US and yet crime is falling just as steeply in Europe as it is in the US. (US imprisons 737 per 100,00 - NI imprisons 79 per 100,000).
Then she knocks the idea that 'prison works', she says it does not! And the statistics; The two-year reconviction rate for those discharged in 2004 was 44%, and those who received non-prison sentences was 17%. She also says that this should hold no surprises as if a first time criminal is locked up with long time criminals they they will learn new methods and want to explore these on their release."
So longer sentences and tougher prison regimes have been proved not to work? So why do you want to persist with a failed method? Maybe you did not know the stats but now you do, are you of two minds now?
But you need to read my reply 115 again Wasp.
But to highlight some bits that Briege Gadd quoted in that reply,
"She argues against long sentences, and says that the popular phrase 'throw away the key' is a false and misguided concept. Those who believe that locking up all the criminals would solve the issues have not given the proper consideration the facts. She says;
1. Fewer than 10% of all crime gets reported to the police - this is true of all countries.
2. Of that number less than 10% of perpetrators are caught.
So there are huge number of crimes and known criminals undocumented in statistics. [My bit, correct my maths, then - only 1% or is it 0.1% is caught]. So she goes on to say that if this small percentage is locked up and the key throw away, there is still the big percentage out there committing crimes. So it is an impossible strategy to attempt as it has no effect on the total number of crimes.
But she also now compares the statistics from countries like the US who adopt such policies as long sentences. And say that such countries who have high rates of imprisonment also are the same countries with high rates of reported crimes. And a UN survey found that sentencing policies in Europe as a whole are considerably less punitive than in the US and yet crime is falling just as steeply in Europe as it is in the US. (US imprisons 737 per 100,00 - NI imprisons 79 per 100,000).
Then she knocks the idea that 'prison works', she says it does not! And the statistics; The two-year reconviction rate for those discharged in 2004 was 44%, and those who received non-prison sentences was 17%. She also says that this should hold no surprises as if a first time criminal is locked up with long time criminals they they will learn new methods and want to explore these on their release."
So longer sentences and tougher prison regimes have been proved not to work? So why do you want to persist with a failed method? Maybe you did not know the stats but now you do, are you of two minds now?