Making punishment fit the crime

When Adam and Eve first disobeyed, despite holding a superior place among God’s creations they were not simply cautioned and the whole incident forgotten. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the snake but they both had to face the consequences of their actions because they had a choice.

Extenuating circumstances aside, most human beings hardly want to face the consequences of their actions. They will use subterfuge, blame others, say they have been set up by the Police.

I agree that the root causes of crime (poverty, the breakdown of families, domestic violence and the various forms of abuse) must be addressed. However, I think we need to overhaul the punishments given because more and more people are committing crimes and just sending people to jail has done little to curb the increase.

Getting justice for victims involves taking the perpetrators to court and proving their guilt. After which they are sent to jail where petty offenders, and drug addicts mix with hardened criminals. What can we expect to be the outcome of that?

Jails are overcrowded, the conditions are dreadful, rape takes place, prisoners form themselves into gangs, they get into fights. Many of the people who get locked up return to a life of crime because they are not rehabilitated. They cannot secure a livelihood when they are freed, breaking away from the gang life is not easy, they are not supported toward rehabilitation. There are exceptions in which men and women go to jail and get an education, learn skills and defy the odds.

Let us be honest with ourselves, when you hear about gruesome, senseless crimes, haven’t you ever thought that those states which carry out punishments like cutting off hands, should be applied locally?

I hear people saying, in rape cases “cut if off”, “hang them by it”. There is also the suggestion that criminals should be dispensed in Woodford Square. They want us to go back to the ancient times when they used a stock-an instrument of punishment.

Normally peace-loving people can become vicious when giving consideration to the type of punishment that certain crimes seem to demand. “When a dog bite you, they get rid of it”, a regular church-going woman said.

Sometimes I entertain the thought that it is a waste of time and money crowding up jail cells. Let us clear them out so those who feel that they could commit crimes and spend years appealing and buying more time when they have already robbed their victims of their time on this earth would not be allowed to do this. The accepted practice of lawyers trying to get (obviously) guilty people off should be changed. Justice is supposed to be blind so that all are treated equally but what good is it to the offender or society that a clearly guilty person should commit a crime and be able to walk free?

Offenders make a mockery of justice when they come with the argument that their punishment is “cruel and unusual” and should not be carried out.

I think jail time is just insufficient reparation for some victims such as the disabled couple (the woman was a diabetic who had lost one leg, while her husband was blind) whose new home was vandalised by persons unknown. Their new home was the result of assistance from the Rotary Club. Is jail sufficient for the relative of the disabled underage girl who allegedly accepted money from men and allowed them to have sex with her? Or for a taxi driver going about his business to be killed and his earnings taken?

I think new ways must be found to deal with crime. If the vandals are ever caught, they should be made to pay for the damage they did and put to work on a construction site so they will understand what they destroyed so casually involved hours of hard work. The vandals should also be required to give a public apology. Dealing with matters involving sexual abuse have to be dealt with discreetly. Victims (who are willing and affected family members) should be allowed to confront perpetrators and vent their feelings. This should not be a one time thing but over a period of time. The relatives of perpetrators should also be involved. Any other public citizen seeking catharsis should be given an opportunity to vent because crime not only traumatises the victims but the entire society. Chemical castration should be introduced but since our Government will not spend money on that, maybe we can just use a Chinese chopper.

This option will cause controversy so instead we could put all the sex offenders in one cell block and bombard them with testimony from their victims via a public address system or words of caution. So as not to make them depressed, they will also hear inspirational spiritual words.

There will be no television or radio allowed. These folks need serious therapy so psychiatrists will be assigned to deal with them.

Repeat offenders (ROs) may be a tough group to tackle but maybe a little shock therapy could work. Another “less cruel and unusual” punishment may be for them to wear (every day) clothing with the big letters ROs on them. So the rest of the public can be wary. They will get to revert to normal clothes for good, law abiding behaviour. Some people might say this is stigmatising but since gang members do not feel ashamed, RO’s through their good works can try and win over opinion.

As for those bad boys and girls who are so hardened they really don’t care what is done to them, we could exile them down the islands and put a tall electronic fence around the island. Just like on the cable show “Survivor” they could try and live off the land. No guns and knives will be allowed on the island because we wouldn’t want them to degenerate into total savages do we?

Does all this sound draconian? Yes it does. But draconian crime needs draconian measures doesn’t it?