Okay, now I'm pissed

[Cock Throppled]

Friends were victims of a crime last year and the case finally went to court this year. The multiple repeat offender was sternly lectured in court - then given time served and probation (he was in custody a grand total of four weeks). It got me wondering - after seeing all the people involved, the time wasted and aggravation with no real penalty- why aren't sentences just mandated to be doubled on each conviction? Even if a first time conviction warranted six weeks - by the 4th conviction he'd be doing a year. By the tenth it's six years. Seems fair to me.
If you can't learn to live by society's rules by one or two convictions I say you've lost your chance, bud.

 

[Cock Throppled]

Sorry - by the 10th conviction it should be over 60 years.

 

[Oberon]

Tough call, as a rule prisons should not just lock people up they should rehabilitate that way you avoid the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc offence but of course there are exceptions two very obvious ones in Vancouver right not , Picton and the other guy torturing women, they should never got out!

Also rehabilitation sometimes fails so then you punish, repeatedly and harshly if required... So I guess I kind of agree with CT assuming we try and get people on the straight and narrow the first time....

Oberon

 

[spaceghost]

We cut their hands off and then discouver we have pulled another David Milgaard.

Considering the number of errors made in wrongful murder convictions, what the rate for other crimes?

Imagine the compensation?

Can you say 'Justice Tax Levy' of several hundred thousand per taxpayer every few years?

 

[spaceghost]

Pity?

Checks and balances.

I once read a fascinating examination of death penalty cases in the US a while back.

With the required appeals and 'due dilligence' required, the costs are huge.... but better to be sure than make a mistake, right?

With the penalty involved, maiming would incease court costs and the necessary checks and balances.

Many would go away with nothing, not even a slap on the wrist.

But don't get me wrong.

I think many of the sentences are too lenient and the process often too 'soft'.

But it is soft for a reason... a greater justice system requires more money.

Judges are directed to seek 'alternative solutions', i.e. don't sent them to jail.

The solution to the social service funding issue is simple... it's called the 60 - 70% tax bracket.

Hands up... who's in favour?

 

[sirlickheralot]

We definately need tougher laws even for property crimes, although I think 60 years even for a 10th offense is excessive. Vancouver has the second highest rate of Auto theft in North America, most of these thefts are committed by a small number of repeat offenders. Locking these repeat offenders up for significant amounts of time, say five years would cost money but it would also save millions of dollars in insurance payouts, thereby reducing all our insurance premiums. Another factor to consider is that tourism is a major industry for us and high property crime rates such as auto theft can have an adverse effect on tourism levels.

I definately wouldn't agree with chopping off people's hands though. Putting aside the fact that its barbaric it would be a bad move from an economic standpoint and would make it too difficult to get convictions. Jurers and Judges might be less inclined to find a defendant guilty if they were facing such a harsh sentence. Like Spaceghost says if someone is wrongly convicted the tax payers could be facing enormous legal settlements to compensate people. Another factor is that amputating peoples hands would make them disabled and therefore less employable. If these people are unable to find legitimate work then they would be that much more likely to return to crime or they would just become a greater burden on our social programs.

 

[Big Trapper]

Nope

Sorry - by the 10th conviction it should be over 60 years.

California's got it right with their "1,2,3 you're out" rule. Life on the third conviction.

 

[Oberon]

Oh man why I'm even getting into this one I don't know BUT like virtually all religions the Moslem faith has been exploited by people for their own purposes and sections of the Qur'an have been taken as law without consideration of the whole text. Christians have this type of thing down to a science...

I can't qoute verses from the Qur'an but I believe if you read it you will find that one of the big things we hear about today the Jihad or holy war is actually suppose to take place in a man's soul it is an internal struggle ...

Anyway religion tried it, didn''t like it ....

Oberon

 

[Cock Throppled]

I consider the crime committed against my friends very violent - they were threatened and assaulted on a street and STILL this wasn't enough to garner a significant sentence. I think the cost to society is the real reason things aren't changed. It may be expensive to keep people in jail, but one big industry has develpoed out of the repeat crimes. Lawyers are proliferating, more police, more insurance claims, more probation officers, more clerical staff, more sheriffs, more judges, more security guards, more ambulance calls, more medical resources, etc etc. It's quite an industry. Police could concentrate on severe crime and respond accordingly if they didn't have to deal with the continuous circle of repeat offenders doing the same crimes over and over. And come to think of it - just what is the purpose of concurrent sentencing? If someone assaults or kills three people the sentence often runs concurrently. That means the second two were freebies. Not significant. No extra penalty. They simply don't count. Great message to criminals and victims.

 

[drromance]

Did anyone read the article in the Asian Post recently Vancouver.. regarding the Isalms wanting to introduce Islamic tribunals in Canada in order to enforce their laws.???? apparently the ability does currently exist for this to happen under our present legislation.