Below a letter published in the Dominion Post some weeks ago which I don’t imagine the correspondent, Bruce Anderson of Christchurch will mind me reproducing.
The essence of Mr Anderson’s complaint boils down to an elementary one, namely the feeble punishment, or more often total absence of punishment for the offenders.
He’s correct that being maori, coming from a lousy home-background and so on, are never excuses for offending.
To present an extreme argument, would ram-raiding or indeed any offence, no matter how minor, continue if immediately caught by the police, offenders are hanged within an hour?
We know the answer which of course is no. Obviously I’m not advocating that, rather I’m making the point that punishment for crimes works, as it always has.
The old master Evelyn Waugh foresaw arising this current disastrous state of affairs with his prophetic satirical novella Love Among The Ruins, exactly half a century ago.
13 Comments
It changes everything when you remove individual agency – you chose to do this, it’s your responsibility. Everything falls apart.
The punishment must be punishment and not just a fine, as they never seem to get paid anyway. They say jails don’t work , but either does the BS they spin the wraparound services, all that does is cost to taxpayer more money
A period in public stocks coupled with a predetermined number strokes with a cane across the back would have an immediate and positive affect. How dare these young thugs hold our entire society to ridicule for its fear of enforcing its social discipline? How dare we do nothing?
We have a military full of thousands of people doing F all. They exist to defend NZ and fight for our freedom.
What do they do?… I say out them in every mall and install them at every shop instead of bollards … And Arm them!
I spent 12 years as a journalist – perhaps a year of my life in total, covering court. It was a daily event to see someone fined for an offence, then casually walk out of the court without anyone even suggesting that payment of the fine should be arranged. Today when I read of a ‘fine’ I just see it as ‘no punishment’. I’ll guarantee that police and others who visit the ‘homes’ (generous term) of offenders frequently see letters demanding payment, stuck on fridges or bedroom walls as ‘trophies’ illustrating their prowess as a ‘bro’.
Remember as a child the total carnage that erupted when a (female) student teacher was left with a class of an otherwise experienced and no nonsense teacher ? We’d run riot and have a ball.
Bullys would emerge from a shadow of stupidity threatening the majority good kids, creating more mahem.
The student teacher would realise their kind meaning unpractical idealistic approach would inevitably never work.
Sound familiar ?
We have an idealistic student government and no shortage of stupid thug Bully’s.
Just look at the carnage.
No judge would abide a hanging. No repeat productivity for judges there
Like this present government, these delinquents only commitments appear to be destruction and mayhem..
The powers to be should demand 100% participation at school, and if ignored removed from their present custodians, and relocated to the local transfer stations and/or rubbish dump to get an appreciation on the mess they have created; including a slight chance of some work ethnic..
Part of the problem is that the types of paid occupation that used to keep non-academic young people in work and give them a sense of purpose have largely dried up and disappeared. Unless a more attractive alternative to criminal activity presents itself, this trend will continue. Punishment is most effective as a deterrent when viable and law-abiding alternatives exist. Maybe a sentence of two years in the army would be an option to get them motivated and back on track?
Agreed. Many of the semi skilled manual jobs have vanished. Combined with an education system that emasculates and fails young men. Hey presto. Crime pays
The parents of these little snotty ram raid culprits should be hunted down and be held
accountable for their lousy parenting skills and be punished along with their vermin offspring.
I am reminded of the televised meetings with concerned panels of “experts”. There is inevitably a left wing social worker who claims prisons don’t work because “When Prisoners are released they just go back to reoffending”
To this I would reply. Say those first 4 words again slowly.
In reality what the numbers show is that for every offender being locked up, another is being released to carry on offending. Whatever the enlightened view of rehabilitation-prison is punishment and to protect society from villains.
Prison isn’t the answer to many things-but it is the only answer to recidivist violent offenders or habitual career offenders.
I can understand that almost everyone deserves a second chance. But does any persistent, career criminal deserve a 50th chance? As a society we need to set a fixed number of previous convictions that results in compulsory life in prison, or a death sentence. Why are we prepared to waste millions of dollars on one criminal who will always be a waste of oxygen? Some people are just not salvagable; and the actual costs of the harm they do, and wasted attempts to rehabilitate them probably far outweigh the cost of a quick painless death sentence. Why do we allow career criminals to raise and socialise children? It’s a form of child abuse, and manufactures the next generation of career criminals.