should criminals not forfeit their 'human rights'.?

Question

If prison was a real deterrent, maybe we would have less crime. I think we need a return to the kind of criminal justice systems we had before the arrival of the political correctness and human rights brigade. If someone is convicted of premeditated, first degree murder, they should spend the rest of their natural life in jail. No parole, no early release, no time off for good behaviour. What reprieve does the victim get?
And when in prison they should be made to spend half their time locked in a cell with no tv etc, and half of it doing labour.
Punishment should be punishment. What is so wrong with making prison a harsh environment. If you are there, then you deserve to be. Prison as it is today is no deterrent to a hardened criminal.

having read some responses i wish to add that for serious crime rehabilitation should not be an issue. What does it matter if a murderer changes his ways. His victim is still dead. He should remain in prison.

Answer 1

Ni I'm sorry I don't agree I believe a life for a life and if someone commits murder they should themselves be killed, just the same as stealing, cutting off hands and rape- castration but it beggers belief how the justice system babies wanna be killers and criminals.

Answer 2

For starters, if someone is convicted of premeditated murder their sentence should be DEATH. What gives the criminal more of a right to life than the victim, and why should the taxpayer shoulder the burden of incarcerating these people for 20, 30, 40, even 50 years?

Secondly, someone here mentioned rehabilitation -- there are countless studies that show REHABILITATION DOES NOT WORK. The rate of recitivism by criminals who have been jailed is over 90%. Forget about this strange idea that criminals can be rehabilitated. Send them to jail to be punished. Make prison as unpleasant as possible so the criminals will not want to go back. Don't give them free cable and free Internet access and free college courses (which we all know are not free -- again, why should the taxpayers shoulder the financial burden of providing these luxuries to criminals when many law-abiding citizens can't afford them?)

Finally, prisoners should be afforded basic human rights. That being said, however, there should be no special consideration for criminals. No more of this garbage where a government surplus of food that is deemed fit for our men and women in uniform is refused by prisons on the basis that "it's not good enough" for criminals. Let's follow the example of the Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, who got rid of coffee because it has no nutritional value and made baloney sandwiches the standard lunch meal of his inmates.

Stop coddling criminals -- PUNISH THEM!!!

Answer 3

I was taking a law enforcement class and we touched upon that subject as well. I think what needs to be done is be a little more stricter with the laws as well. Some of the people that are going to jail right now in the state that I reside crime has gone up since the jobless rate started to rise. Unfortunatly some people are going to jail for doing something to keep there family fed or do things on purpose because they want to be taken care of. People who have had been in prison for such a long time and are released they have no idea how to act so they commit another crime just so they can go back. We don't have the death penalty here where I live and I can say that I think it's better that we don't. In my personal opinon people who murder should be kept alive to force them to live with what they have done. In general it's a better punishment. I think there is room for reform but things should be dealt with on a case by case basis. I also think that if someone has commited previous offenses they should also be brought up while on trial. In cases that I have seen here. The judge won't listen to it or won't let the jury hear what has been done in the past. When the things being mentioned that this person has done before may be something that has lead up to their arrest and what they had done in the past should be said so that the judge/jury can better decide on what kind or even how long the punishment should be.
I will have to say that pedophiles should be in prison for the rest of their lives. There is no rehibilitation for them and all they are going to do is commit this type of crime over and over again. They will eventually learn how to get around being caught. The sad thing is when someone becomes a pedophile they had been molested or raped themselves. This is something that continues a pattern. So when they do it to a little child that little child will grow up and do it to another child and start the cycle all over again. I believe that this type of crime is such an obvious human violation that they shouldn't be given very many if at all human rights.

Answer 4

I agree. Prison these days doesn't seem to be a deterrent. A life should mean life, not 10 / 15 years. What about the victim and their family who will miss out on future children/grandchildren and the joy.
No matter what the crime, they should have to provide a service to the community. In some countries criminals have to help sweep streets, fix roads, etc. They should have to do more in this country to pay for their crime and also the food and clothing they are given.

Answer 5

I think when someone commits serious crime as you have mentioned they give up their human rights. If you want human rights you have to deserve them. I also think they should bring back the death penalty for certain crimes but think it should be used only when there is no doubt of guilt. Punishment should fit the crime! Our prisons are a joke at the moment with prisoners being given early release as they are so overcrowded. As usual Governments failure to act on a situation that has been building for a long time. I think there should be a punishment for ministers who have failed badly in their ministerial duties . Maybe then they would pull their socks up and stop spouting the same message of mistakes have been made etc.

Answer 6

The point of Crime and punishment is to 1) be a deterrent and 2) to rehabilitate. 3) to punish

People do make mistakes everyone does and sometimes those mistakes cost other people dearly but the law should not be a vehicle for retribution.

criminals a person who commits a crime is not the same person 20 years later, they will have changed, for better or worse who can say. The reality is that if someone murdered a member of my family, although I am against the death penalty I would want to see that person dead. That would be revenge though and revenge is how blood feuds start

Also remember that when someone goes to prison his/ her family go with him, they are punished too

Answer 7

Ah yes but what about the prisoners right to watch sky tv and play pool? They might get upset if they are taken away. Can't have murderers with hurt feelings can we? lol

Of course all the criminal should be put to work or locked up 24 hours a day with only bread and water. Prison is more of a holiday to criminals, because they do not pay any rent or anything and play pool all day.
lets hope its sorted soon.

Answer 8

Prison is often called 'The University of Crime'.

The problem with harsh punishment is that it teaches people to be harsh. Severe sentencing escalates the competition between lawful and lawless communities. When there have been very harsh punishment regimes (and in places that have them now) a criminal will have 'nothing to lose' by becoming more dramatically criminal.

There are also practical problems. Where somebody is locked up for a long time, the resources needed to keep them locked up (security staff, building maintenance, catering, communications, surveillance equipment, surveillance & intelligence staff to protect the security staff, all operating 24 hours a day) are also 'locked in' for an equal length of time.

It is possible to do this 'on the cheap', and political pressure on budgeting means that cheaper methods are often used. That's why prison regimes are so brutal (too few security, surveillance and intelligence staff to prevent the formation of self-ruling subcultures and hierarchies forming among the inmates), although people on the outside think that it's a soft life (because the convicts, who are left to prey on each other in the ways they would like to prey on wider society, also have access to TV). To keep costs down, many prisons keep inmates locked in their cell for much more than half of the time. Training programmes for skilled work require high levels of staffing, so they are not widely available.

Prison today is what hardens criminals. Many 'young offenders' who haven't got what it takes to become a hardened criminal, kill themselves while in custody for relatively minor crimes. Others respond to the same bullying regime (operated by staff as well as other offenders) by committing themselves to a cycle of repeated and escalating criminal behaviour (known as 'recidivism').

Adding fitness regimes (more hard labour) and mental torture (more lock-in) only increases the hardening effect of jail.

More assistance needs to be available for the victims of crimes (including, often, relatives of the 'direct' victim), and this costs money. However, this is an investment in a more stable future society.

Just as importantly, more money needs to be spent on (proven) anti-recidivist measures, such as prisoner education and social support for ex-convicts. Money will be saved in the long run if we can allow criminals to work their way back into law-abiding lives, instead of hardening them with harsh penalties.

Answer 9

Didn't read your full question, didn't need to!

Prison is more of a hotel these days! Obviously there are criminals that don't really deserve that label (people defending themselves or families, etc). But for serious crimes and repeat offenders things should be tougher. Who cares about over crowding cells off murderers and worse. Pack them in, make it uncomfortable for them. As long as the guards can keep on top of things who cares?

Also, if a burglar breaks into someones house and hurts themselves. How can they justify compensation? They were acting outside the law!

Wave their human rights, cram them in. And if that doesn't work we then have an alternative for medical animal testing.......??????

Answer 10

hear hear, political correctness is an absurdity, human rights is a joke. It's all very well to progress in life, but human values have changed for the worse. UK is really no longer a free country with free speech. How can it be if you can't say what you really think without the danger of offending someone and being prosecuted for it.

Answer 11

Yes. They should pay the penalty for their crime whatever that may be.

Prison might be overcrowded but they at least have a roof over their head and regular meals. Many people/families are living in second/third rate accommodation or sleeping rough with no amenities.

Prison is just one long jolly as far as the criminal is concerned - many admit to be better off!!