Crime & Punishment

Reposted:

Apart from a few pre-election posturing sessions, I have seen little policy on addressing crime in NZ.

There is a bit of huffing and puffing about more police and longer sentences- that's about it.

If readers that belong to the political parties take exception, I would point out that if you DO have such policies, you have failed to promote them effectively.

OK, so how about some ideas- I have been freely criticizing, but I also have some solutions for your consideration.

1- Get police policing, not paper-filing and entering data for national office.

2- Get police out of traffic enforcement and regain some respect from the public.

3- Go after crimes with victims. Forget about possession/cultivating cannabis. The lib's have got this right! Go hard on those selling drugs to minors, though.

4- Arm all police with lethal and non-lethal alternatives. Regarding non-lethal- don't try to re- invent the wheel, this stuff has been used for decades overseas.

5- The Judiciary to take direction from their masters. The citizens of NZ, via government.

6- The position of Judge should be a profession in itself, not a lawyers perk.

7- Offenders and punishment- there are steps needed short of imprisonment. Young and first time minor offenders should take their punishment in the full public eye.

Dayglo overalls and chains- being clearly seen by the public do be paying for what they have done. And hopefully shamed by it!

Learn from this!

8- Imprisonment

The reality is that prison (as we have now) is a soul-destroying, harsh and Spartan place. To decent, well-adjusted person, that is. To the revolving door inmate, it's no big deal- the drugs just cost more and the sex is...Different. To modify their behavior, prison has to be a less attractive alternative to the outside. Thus a stricter (not harsher, there is a difference) routine, the minimal privileges earned by hard work and good behavior, not 'as a right.' Privileges, for example, being a job that is out of the weather, a monthly phone call or 'visit', via video link.

Hard?

You bet!

As the old line goes "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime"



9- Confirmed recidivists

The End Of The Road.
A containment facility for confirmed recidivist offenders.

Sited on a bleak off-shore island, this facility is generally reserved for those who have been sentenced to a third term of imprisonment or those convicted of an offense which could currently warrant preventitive detention. A jury must unanimously vote to approve this sentence.

The few buildings are concrete ablution facilities, bunkhouses and guardtowers.
The perimeter is patrolled and secured. Inside the electrified razor wire, the inmates are left to their own devices. Basic subsistence supplies are delivered to the compound. There is no electricity, Water goes in, sewerage goes out.

Selected video footage is displayed at the first offenders facility.
The only way out is to opt for voluntary euthanasia.

10- Why- What we are doing now just isn't working well enough. Rehabilitation is a crock of shit. Maybe it works in the same way a thousand monkeys banging on typewriters will occasionaly produce the odd word.

When is a crim rehabilitated?- when he decides he doesn't want to do the prison thing anymore. Simple as that.

The bleeding hearts have been experimenting and spouting psychobabble for years to no avail. The old hard routine at least had a bit more deterrent value.

These aren't theories just dreamed up, but observations from my time as a Prison Officer. Trust me, the crims are laughing on the way to their rehab. programs about how this is only for the parole board. They are laughing at you weak people- the prey. That is what they call you.

But really the bottom line is not rehab. That must come from within. The bottom line is the public must be protected. It's expensive, for sure, but the cost of having a recidivist criminal on the loose is higher. Take a look at the figures here:

http://www.safe-nz.org.nz/Articles/lock.htm

Finally- The Death Penalty.

I say yes, for the worst types of murderer- the US would say first-degree murderer. Then only when the evidence is hard physical evidence. DNA match, multiple eye-witnesses or video capture. Then only after a set period of imprisonment, say-five years to allow for appeal (and time to contemplate their actions and the consequences)

This is a quick glimpse into my world of Crime and Punishment- there is plenty more...