this will get you going?

Question

should the press name and shame other criminals, instead of selecting one type of crime all the time,ie muggers,wife beaters,robbers etc or just select sex offenders, after all any crime has victims, and the public need to be aware of these too
and deserve information, most of us know about sex offenders and of course we need to be kept informed

Answer 1

Absolutely NOT.
Papers in this country exploit an anomaly in the criminal justice system - they can manipulate stories with Sunday papers often using dubious menas to trap people often on Fridays so when an arrest takes place a charge is unlikely to occur before a Monday as the police look at the evidence. The papers then splash a story even if NO charge or criminal prosecution takes place. We have seen numerous cases of men accussed of rape being named only to be cleared bu t the paper rarely give as much space to an non sensationalist clearing or acquittal often leavign peoples reputations shattered and in tatters subject to innuendo and attack.
Famously the News of the world listed "known" sex offenders which led to mobs beating up those named including a leading paediatrician - ie child doctor- who was obliged to move. The media do not accurately report facts just a version of the stories that titilate and amuse or entertain and shock - partisan by nature it is inevitable that if you allow more "naming and shaming" the obnly result based on supirous facts and anecdotal evidence will be violence, mob rule, beatings, firebombings, lynchings etc...and for what? The justice system is there and has suitable checks and balances. God bless the jury system but never think that handing justice to the media or the mob is a good idea.

Answer 2

I think we should have to wear a scarlet letter according to our crime or be tattooed on top of our hand or have some marking for all to see. The scartlet letter A was for the sin of adultery but we'd argue about what is truly a sin according to all religions. So if we marked people according to their crime then all would be aware. Plus I think that would deter many people to commit a crime.

Sex offenders still have it too easy after their release. They get a house and a job right away. They can live next to a school or a park. Police someimes warn us before their release but later we forget or weren't around when they pubically annuonced it. Criminals should be physically marked and their cars and houses should be to. It will hopefully stop them from commiting a crime again and will help protect the rest of us.

Answer 3

First of all we need to ask ourselves the question 'why do I want to know?' and we should answer this honestly. In relation to lesser crimes i.e. not child sex offenders, do we want to name and shame so that we can feel avenged or is it so that we can be more self protective? I feel that in a lot of cases the reason that people want criminals named and shamed is to get some revenge on them, to make us feel like we can punish them too. We might feel this way because of the disasociated nature of our criminal prosecution system, in that we feel criminals are getting of too lightly and their rights are coming before ours. However would this be a good thing?

For instance why do I need to know the name of a person who has commited GBH in newcastle when I live in Newquay? Knowing this information will not help me to protect myself from this man because the chances of running into him are very small indeed or is it because it gives me a sense of power over him? If so this could be dangerous, as it panders to the mob mentality and criminals need to be tried by people who are not emotionally involved with the crime so that they are impartial.

As for sex offenders and especially where children are concerned, the very subject is imotive. Lots of people think that these offenders should be named and shamed and in a way they already are as they are registered on the sex offenders list but having the information public could cause dangerous situations. Again why do I need to know about a peodophile 500 miles away when realisticly our paths will never cross also this type of criminal is very much vilified in public and causes so much outrage that mobs of people take law into there own hands and try to kill/beat such people. Many say thats good but there have been 8 cases so far of innocent people getting beaten, abused and in one case killed because public mistakenly thought they were peodophiles after local press printed information.

What we need is a criminal system that champions the rights of and protects the law abiding citizen so that we feel safe and secure in our communities. It is only the sense of helplesness and powerlessness that drives people to want to know this information.

On a personal note I believe the press have alot to do with this. People think that there are peodophiles living in every street and that your children will be abducted and raped if you let them play out side. However, the true fact is that this is not the case but unfotunatly people love sensationalism over fact and belive what 'The Sun' say.

Answer 4

On one hand the press could inform the public of criminal behaviour and who perpertrated it, but on the other hand there is still data protection and the criminal's rights of privacy. Also, if someone proved they were wrongly convicted after being published as a criminal they could sue for libel and other damages.

I agree with the most horrible criminals being named and shamed, but labelling someone because they committed a flash in the pan or accidental offence isn't fair or viable. Plus who would want to trawl through page after page of names searching for somone they know or suspect?

In terrorism cases especially, announcing nationally those convicted could be counter produtive to police operations

Answer 5

In Scotland, information regarding convicted criminals and their crimes are available in the court report produced and available from courts. So anyone who really want to know can find out (plus the local papers usually print it anyway).

Answer 6

Just think of all the negative thats already on the news, its quite depressing actually, if they were to start covering all the crimes there wouldnt be time for any real news.

Answer 7

the police are so keen to fit anyone up to close a case it would be unjust to make them pay twice for a crime they did not commit

Answer 8

Sadly, if this was put into practice, most of the paper would consist of a list of names!

Answer 9

in Cardiff they have started a Little gossip column in the echo, of who was in court each day and what for.
my mate found it funny to see if anyone who went to school with them ever features!!!
:-)

Answer 10

I think anyone who commits an offence, should be named and shamed!