No Jail for Burglars.....

[R1Geezer]

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/51659/Now- burglars-will-not-be-jailed
Well I suppose they are like butlins anyway but perlease, is it worth turning to a ife of crime? Certainly it's looking like a governement recruit a burglar scheme. What next Gordon opens up a string of "Hot" gear shops to buy and sell the ill gotten? You could'nt make it up!

[naomi24]

Good idea. If it's going to work, let's do it - and until we get all this in place, we give up our knee-jerk reaction and leave them to do as they like, shall we? Knuckle-dragging 'let's lock them up', does more than sweet fa - it takes them out of circulation and stops them from breaking into even more homes.

[keyplus90]

How do you stop it? Very easy. Leave your door open or key outside and write a note outside. Please take whatever you require. As I am unable to receive you and offer you a cup of coffee due to work or other things, please feel fee and help yourself. Only few things I would request to be left if you do not mind, my children�s photos, my parents few belongings and a chair in the front room, as my mother used to sit in that. Purely due to sentimental value and then you may waste you time as you would not get even a couple of quid�s for these things. And yes also please leave your number for the future as that might save me money whenever I want to get rid of something. Try not to make mess or break things as I am unable to afford repair. Ta .

This may have some influence on someone.

[jake-the-peg]

For how long naomi?

Then they're out and repeat offending and being joined by more.

It's real short-term finger-in-the-dyke thinking and it's been going on for years because "getting tough" is good politics

Stop focussing on sending people to prison and focus on what happens when they get out and getting them off drugs!

But that doesn't play well in the tabloids

[Gromit]

naomi24

"could that be because crime levels are a bit of a problem? "
- No, detected crime is down but imprisoning is up.

Home Office Stats:
Here are some significant crime statistics from our most recent research, Crime in England and Wales 2006-2007:

the risk of being a victim of crime is 24% - significantly lower than the 40% recorded in 1995

crime has fallen by 42% since 1995, meaning that 8.4 million fewer crimes took place during that time than would have had rates never fallen

domestic burglary and all vehicle thefts have fallen by huge percentages (59% and 61% respectively) since 1995

crime is down in most categories

I am not saying do not build more prisons. But what do you do now with prisoners when there is niether the buildings or the staff to keep them?

[jake-the-peg]

Ah Gromit you'll find that those statistics are unreliable because they don't support right wing thought (yes I know it's an oxymoron)

[naomi24]

No one's suggesting we hang them high, Vic, and I have no objection to experts discussing the matter all they like, but the fact remains that people who break into other people's homes have to be stopped - and allowing them to go free will not achieve that.

Incidentally, I wonder how many of these experts have been on the receiving end of burglary? I'd say I'm a bit of an expert myself - my home has been burgled twice - and I will never forgive the people who did it. As I said before, I have no sympathy with them whatsoever. They deserve all they get. It's a great pity that the liberals in this country don't give a little more consideration to the victims of crime, and the effect that crime has on them and their lives, rather than bleating on about the poor hard-done criminal.

Keyplus, it's rare for me to agree with you, but on this occasion I do.

[naomi24]

Jake, For as long as it takes to get your plan up and running - and, more to the point, working. They may well come out of prison and re-offend, but at least for the time they're in there they aren't burgling people's homes.

Gromit, detected crime is down but imprisoning is up. Good. Maybe Labour are trying to do something positive after all.

I am not saying do not build more prisons. But what do you do now with prisoners when there is niether the buildings or the staff to keep them?

Well, there's an answer there. Get a move on. There are plenty of builders currently becoming unemployed - and there are plenty of able bodied people out of work - and what about getting all the people who commit crimes and are sentenced to community service to do a bit of hod carrying? They may even learn a useful trade in the process.

[lonedad]

You have to commit a driving offence to go to prison these days. Whatever offence has a good pressure group behind it then you can always rely on the weak goverment to cave into their demands.
From what I can see, you can beat the cr@p out of someone, break into someones home, commit thuggish anti social behaviour and steal from shops and people and you'll get away with a slappe wrist. Have an accident on the road and you'll be sent away for months!!

[Oneeyedvic]

allowing them to go free will not achieve that.

No one is arguing that they should 'go free' unless you mean not incarcerated as opposed to not punished. The proposals talk about community sentences.

It's a great pity that the liberals in this country don't give a little more consideration to the victims of crime, and the effect that crime has on them and their lives, rather than bleating on about the poor hard-done criminal.

We both want the same thing to happen - lower crime rates. I am simply saying that if you understand why they are committing crimes and then tackle that behaviour, it is surely better than ignoring the problem and just asking for people to be locked up.


Incidentally, I wonder how many of these experts have been on the receiving end of burglary?

Luckily, when you become an expert you get a warning sign which you hang at the door which states that you are an expert and therefore are immune to burglary.
;)

[keyplus90]

Don�t worry Naomi � I will mark this in my calendar.

[naomi24]

I'm not ignoring the problem, and I know people are often brought up in dire circumstances, or they've turned to drugs, etc, but unless you and those who think like you can come up with a viable solution that will cure the problem once and for all, then community sentencing is not an option, since it doesn't deter the criminal, and hence it doesn't benefit society.

[naomi24]

Keyplus, Oh, no champagne? No, maybe not. Just a few party poppers then, eh?

[Oneeyedvic]

There is no viable solution that will cure the problem once and for all, just as prison doesn't cure the problem.

There are different approaches that might or might not work.

It would be nice if we could explore this without the gutter press jumping on the 'string em up' bandwagon and influencing the populous.

Unfortunately, this probably won't happen, as the press is too powerful.

Tell me who benefits? Obviously not society, since we are locking more people up.

What happens to the children of these burglars? No stable role model as dad in prison = higher chance of carrying out criminal acts.

As I said, I don't have a magic wand or any answers - I really just want people who have looked at this to come up with plans that are looked at rationally not hysterically (and this does not mean you, naomi (although we do not always agree, you will at least look at things rationally) , it means more people like AOG, R1 and Stoke).