30 October 2008

Abject failure of justice and rehabilitation.

| johnboy
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The Canberra Times has the sorry story of alleged arsonist Rodney Farraway.

Rodney was bailed on condition he attend the Canberra Recovery Centre drug-and-alcohol clinic. Only when he got kicked out of it for allegedly smuggling in his own hooch no-one picked up the ball.

    “Farraway, 31, was thrown out of the clinic last Monday night after allegedly being caught with alcohol on the premises.

    He was found by police two days later walking the streets of Ngunnawal, within a kilometre of his alleged victim’s home.

    Farraway, who must stay at least 500m from the woman, was allegedly drunk at the time of his arrest and claimed he was on his way to a friend’s house where he was staying.

    Justice Higgins released Farraway on bail again yesterday after observing that the decision to throw him out of the Canberra Recovery Centre last week had been ”harsh”.”

Farraway’s lawyer has promised to put him on a bus to Sydney in the hope he’ll turn up at rehab centre there.

You couldn’t make this stuff up.

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Deadmandrinking10:27 am 04 Apr 10

This is going to sound weird coming from me…but…

Rehab or Jail, you do need to be tough about rehab.

Perhaps, the first time he breaches the centre’s rules, he should be given a warning (sometimes it’s a bit difficult to completely stop drinking, allowances for relapses do need to be made). Second time, he’s taken down to the lockup for a night, then told in the morning he can either go back to rehab, or go to the big house and that he won’t get the same option next time.

Third time, he’s down in the lockup for at least a few months before he can apply to go to rehab again.

Fourth time…well, there is no fourth time. Goodbye.

sam needs justice10:06 pm 03 Apr 10

well would you believe it farraway has been given parole once again lets see how long he stays out side of prison for meanwhile his victims will now become prisoners in there own home for risk of runny in to this mad man

Pommy bastard7:41 pm 31 Oct 08

dexi said :

Realy…………Post 29 “Because there is a whole industry solely dependent on getting people “therapy” “rehab” “treatment” and other cozy ideas, rather than the punishment we all know they need and deserve.”

Yes, back then we were discussing the failures of the justice system, not just the “sociopath” idea you introduced.

Don’t worry Australia was founded on indolence and crime. It is how we started as a white nation.

Realy…………Post 29 “Because there is a whole industry solely dependent on getting people “therapy” “rehab” “treatment” and other cozy ideas, rather than the punishment we all know they need and deserve.”

Pommy bastard5:58 pm 31 Oct 08

dexi said :

Pommy. So punishment is going to help how? Agree, should be locked up. Agree, Rehab is wrong for him. As for……….

“If you think it’s bad here you should go to the UK where the “save the disabled, lesbian, alcoholic, heroin addict, refugee, benefit claimant” types have virtually ruined the country for anyone who isn’t a disabled, lesbian, alcoholic, heroin addict, refugee, benefit claimant.

We need to stop caring for those who blatantly abuse us and the system, and start looking after the working and law abiding.”

I said nothing about punishing anyone, I merely said he should be locked away to protect society. Please do not put words in my mouth.

I’ve never been to the UK, but I know Australia fairly well. The working and law abiding, have never had it so good. We are a very wealthy, plump nation. In fact, for the working and middle class, Id say they have never had it any better in all of known history. Yet you claim the “save the disabled, lesbian, alcoholic, heroin addict, refugee, benefit claimant” are ruining your party. Really, its a bit far fetched isn’t it. Maybe you should recline in your leather chair, flick the big screen on, turn up the surround sound, crack a beer and relax, as this is as good as it has ever been. Your well looked after.

Not at all far fetched, I would have found it far fetched in Thatchers Britain that the whole place could lose it’s moral compass, and slide into a place where indolence is rewarded, and crime unpunished. It was a warning for what Aus might become.

Pommy. So punishment is going to help how? Agree, should be locked up. Agree, Rehab is wrong for him. As for……….

“If you think it’s bad here you should go to the UK where the “save the disabled, lesbian, alcoholic, heroin addict, refugee, benefit claimant” types have virtually ruined the country for anyone who isn’t a disabled, lesbian, alcoholic, heroin addict, refugee, benefit claimant.

We need to stop caring for those who blatantly abuse us and the system, and start looking after the working and law abiding.”

I’ve never been to the UK, but I know Australia fairly well. The working and law abiding, have never had it so good. We are a very wealthy, plump nation. In fact, for the working and middle class, Id say they have never had it any better in all of known history. Yet you claim the “save the disabled, lesbian, alcoholic, heroin addict, refugee, benefit claimant” are ruining your party. Really, its a bit far fetched isn’t it. Maybe you should recline in your leather chair, flick the big screen on, turn up the surround sound, crack a beer and relax, as this is as good as it has ever been. Your well looked after.

Pommy bastard3:55 pm 31 Oct 08

Ah, I think I see your point now Dexi, but it negates no one wit of my post.
If he is a true sociopath, then, not only does he need locking up for the good of society, but also, as there is no cure for the sociopathic personality, all the do gooders in the world will not cure him..

tylersmayhem2:34 pm 31 Oct 08

it’s not rehabilitation he needs, its professional help and a secure facility.

I don’t have all the answers or any solution…but I suspect Dr Philip Nitschke would have a few suitable suggestions.

mental health programs in the ACT are almost non-existent.

The magistrate referred him to the wrong program. That is where I think he went wrong in his judgement. I’d want to know why this guy hasn’t been referred and dealt with by mental health. To me, this guy seems not to be a good person but mentally stuffed one and should be treated as such.

That burning animals is not normal. Maybe his head is wired wrong and that poor him is actually insane. Punish him all you like, but a sociopath isn’t going to get the point. He should be removed from society and placed under supervision in a secure mental health facility. Rehab or jail is only going to limit his effect on society temporarily. On release he will be still insane.

Dexi (43) – the problem seems to be that magistrates treat everyone as if they are a good person who has made a silly mistake.

Fine for a first offence, but after a string of obnoxious acts it wears a bit thin.

samantha630z9222086710:22 am 31 Oct 08

well farraway has apparently arrived at surrey hills rehab let’s see how long this scam will last and how many other people he can get to believe poor him

Pommy bastard10:05 am 31 Oct 08

dexi said :

Right Pommy I’ll take a stab at it being a little trendy myself.

A sociopath is a person who has antisocial personality disorder.

The main characteristic of a sociopath is a disregard for the rights of others. Sociopaths are also unable to conform to what society defines as a normal personality. Antisocial tendencies are a big part of the sociopath’s personality. This pattern usually comes into evidence around the age of 15. If it is not treated, it can develop into adulthood.

Visible symptoms include physical aggression and the inability to hold down a steady job. The sociopath also finds it hard to sustain relationships and shows a lack of regret in his or her actions. A major personality behavior trait is the violation of the rights of others. This can appear as a disregard for the physical or sexual wellbeing of another.

Sound familiar Pommy?

Yes it does sound familiar, what was your point?

I sought of figured that. Just thought I’d remind you of what should be the true discouragement of a life of crime. I’d hate to see you suffer needlessly.

Maybe its not just the law that plays a part in discouraging crime. This is why people push the Rehab, religion and sport lines. The point being, giving people a better view of life. Maybe we see more crime in the poor and drug addicted because this view is very narrow and limited. Guess that’s why we need to spend so much time and money trying to raiser people up, out of crime, drug addiction and poverty. The leeway is so some can change their ways. Not everyone that commits crime are scumbags set on shitting on society. Some have made a mistake. We seem to just focus on the turds.

dexi said :

harvyk1 said :

it really makes me wonder why I’m bothering been a law abiding citizen, as right now there isn’t really a very big deterrent not to be.
[/Rant]

Really are you hungry, homeless or need cash for a fix. Do you want stupid mates that rip you off, lie and manipulate. Do you want to witness, sad, heartbreaking, senseless crap every day. You might try organised crime or white collar crime, pays better and you can go home to a nice house and family. Either way the misery will catch up to you. That should be enough to deter all but the stupid, greedy and insane.

Um, it was a rant, I’m not about to throw in my current life for a life of crime, I was illustrating a point that Crims actually have a lot of leeway when it comes to committing crimes and there is very little the courts are doing to discourage them. Also you don’t need to live a life of crime to have stupid mates that rip you off, lie and manipulate, it happens just as much in the white collar world.

Jail is the locked up Rehab. You can receive methadone maintenance treatment in jail. Someone else might know how they handle drug rehab in jail for the other drugs.

Do we have a secure long term psychiatric facility in Canberra? People with mental illness often have drug addictions and vice versa. Rehab places in Canberra usually ask that you are drug free when you go in. They want to see some kind commitment to the program. Forcing people into rehab counters personal motivation.

I’m not really advocating rehab for this guy, so much as saying if they do want to send him to rehab, it needs to be a locked up version.

Meanwhile, they should provide nicer, unlocked rehab for those who do want to quit on their own, but need a bit of help.

The local Pollies who got elected all hid behind the mantra of “judicial independence” when replying to the recent Riotact questionnaire on the ACT legal system but it’s interesting to note that when Corbell made the recent appontments to the Supreme court his appointments were lauded, with one as being great news because the appointee (Refshauge in this case) was “a civil libertarian, he’ll do a good job.” I don’t want a civil libertarian as a Judge I want someone who will see that justice is done and that society is protected from the scum who appear in the courts. I suggest there is something fundamentally wrong with the process that sees our Supreme Court Judges and Magistrates appointed from within the legal system when they are again and again being seen to fail in serving the public interest in this town.

I wonder what he will spend his Rudd Government Christmas bonus on … just how safe will his victim feel over Christmas?

harvyk1 said :

it really makes me wonder why I’m bothering been a law abiding citizen, as right now there isn’t really a very big deterrent not to be.
[/Rant]

Really are you hungry, homeless or need cash for a fix. Do you want stupid mates that rip you off, lie and manipulate. Do you want to witness, sad, heartbreaking, senseless crap every day. You might try organised crime or white collar crime, pays better and you can go home to a nice house and family. Either way the misery will catch up to you. That should be enough to deter all but the stupid, greedy and insane.

I’d like to see if Justice Higgins think this would be an appropriate course of action if someone was doing these things to his family \ friends.

[Rant]
In some ways I really feel sorry for the coppers. They are forced to push an agenda set upon by “political leaders” (I use the term loosely) “community groups” (read as selfish bastards who love sh*t stirring) and then coupled with the fact that the legal system doesn’t even give the offenders a kick up the back side as “that may emotionally scar them, and we can’t have that”.

My desire is to see a legal system so harsh, that if you do wrong your life for 10 years becomes nights and weekends in gaol, weekdays doing community service. I would not care how much the little darlings (aka crims) complain.

The fact is that Victims of crime are often forced to go through hell for no good reason, and yet the crims are laughing all the way. They know that they will probably be given minimal punishment, if any. They know of all the rights they have, it really makes me wonder why I’m bothering been a law abiding citizen, as right now there isn’t really a very big deterrent not to be.
[/Rant]

I think this is one of those situations where lock and key come together and then are placed as far apart as humanly possible for the term of Farraway’s natural life.

Sepi it’s not rehabilitation he needs, its professional help and a secure facility. I think this behavior is a bit beyond substance abuse. But I’m not a professional.

Rehab in Canberra is pretty thin on the ground but people can also give up on their own if they choose to.

I agree he should be locked up, today. The community has a right to know why he is free in the community. His family need to be protected from him. We may differ on where he should be locked up.

As for kicking a judge, you go for it.

Unfortunetaley in Canberra the focus on rehabitlitation mostly involves magistrates talking about it.

Services are very thin on the ground, and are usually full of people who have been court ordered into them (in lieu of going to gaol).

it is very very difficult to get into rehab off your own bat in Canberra. Which is ridiculous, as we should be bending over backwards to help anyone who actually wants to give up drugs.

dexi, I’ll be sure to quote you when he offends again.

He should be locked up as he is a danger to himself and to the greater community.

To have been allowed out and about to cause more mayhem and disaster is beyond acceptable and the judge should be kicked swiftly up the arse himself.

Right Pommy I’ll take a stab at it being a little trendy myself.

A sociopath is a person who has antisocial personality disorder.

The main characteristic of a sociopath is a disregard for the rights of others. Sociopaths are also unable to conform to what society defines as a normal personality. Antisocial tendencies are a big part of the sociopath’s personality. This pattern usually comes into evidence around the age of 15. If it is not treated, it can develop into adulthood.

Visible symptoms include physical aggression and the inability to hold down a steady job. The sociopath also finds it hard to sustain relationships and shows a lack of regret in his or her actions. A major personality behavior trait is the violation of the rights of others. This can appear as a disregard for the physical or sexual wellbeing of another.

Sound familiar Pommy?

Pommy bastard4:33 pm 30 Oct 08

ant said :

Ye gods. This is incredible. Why is this person out in society, doing these things?

Because there is a whole industry solely dependent on getting people “therapy” “rehab” “treatment” and other cozy ideas, rather than the punishment we all know they need and deserve.

These “trendy lefty PC” types however are the first to crap a brick and run away should the person get into THEIR lives.

If you think it’s bad here you should go to the UK where the “save the disabled, lesbian, alcoholic, heroin addict, refugee, benefit claimant” types have virtually ruined the country for anyone who isn’t a disabled, lesbian, alcoholic, heroin addict, refugee, benefit claimant.

We need to stop caring for those who blatantly abuse us and the system, and start looking after the working and law abiding.

Pommy bastard4:25 pm 30 Oct 08

Loose Brown said :

Shuttup you Pommy Bastard!!

(I have nothing against your comment – I agree – I just had to say that however)

If I had a 20 cents for every time someone said that, I’d have $3.40

Burning chickens and drowning family pet dogs, jeeepers. Not to mention the other stuff. This is unbelieveable.

Maybe its a failure of our mental health system. What is Rodney’s mental illness, anyone? I feel deeply for his family as it seems his rage and acts of violence have been directed at them.

there is something seriously wrong with our judicial system, I am surprised that the RSPCA haven’t managed to get him for cruelty to animals.

dexi said :

If hes burning chickens (as well as the other violent crime) then hes needs to be in a secure mental institution not in our “Holiday Resort”. I think there is a word for this behavior.

WTF?! Who goes out burning chickens? (Note: I’m purposely avoiding hitting the ‘?’ key several times – please take my Peterh-esque outrage as a given).

I’ve heard of smoking hams and salmon but burning chickens is just weird (and wrong).

If hes burning chickens (as well as the other violent crime) then hes needs to be in a secure mental institution not in our “Holiday Resort”. I think there is a word for this behavior.

johnboy said :

Peter I think we can all assume that you’ll be doing blowhard outrage. No need to share it again in future.

sorry JB, just got a bit angry after reading samantha’s post. I will try to control myself.

Peter I think we can all assume that you’ll be doing blowhard outrage. No need to share it again in future.

peterh said :

ant said :

Ye gods. This is incredible. Why is this person out in society, doing these things?

Oh, I thought you meant me for a second ….

ant said :

Ye gods. This is incredible. Why is this person out in society, doing these things?

because the justice system has failed the victims.

because institutions like kenmore were deemed to be damaging, not helping the mentally ill.

because we worry more about the #@&*$% criminals than we do about everyone else, apparently.

Veteran by name, veteran by nature, Tylers! That’s what happens to bitter and crusty people like myself!

*tee hee*

tylersmayhem2:13 pm 30 Oct 08

Since when did you become a Veteran Rioter Granny?! Congratulations!

WTF people, we have to do something about our legal system. This is just wrong, and this worm is getting close to turning I can tell you! Do not mention Dexter, Sleaz274!

Or – if judges are so desperate to offer rehabilitation to offenders, then we need a version of rehab especially created for these type of offenders.

As things stand, it is very scary for housewife alcoholics, young women, professionals etc to try to get into rehab, as it is filled with crooks and nutbags who don’t even want to be there, but there is nowhere else for them.

tylersmayhem1:29 pm 30 Oct 08

As previously posted, I CAN’T believe people like this get bailed. Please also see my comments (slightly off topic) about the Holiday Camp, and young people getting a skewed idea of what prison is.

Samantha, thank you for your post. If only judges looked further into the disturbing behaviors of these individual’s, rather than just the charge in question – surely they could justify harsher penalties.

Ye gods. This is incredible. Why is this person out in society, doing these things?

It doesn’t make any sense to ‘sentence’ someone to a rehab facility that is not locked up.

Rehab only works if people are desperate to quit their addictions. No way it will work to send someone there instead of gaol, if they know they can leave whenever they want.

there needs to be a middle phase of a Locked Rehab, where they can dry out, and then if they complete that and say they are genuinely keen to go to a non-locked rehab they can try.

Sending him to the fyshwick rehab would have also meant they turned away someone who probably was ready to give quitting a decent go.

there you go….

samantha630z922208671:09 pm 30 Oct 08

i am samantha taylor rodney farraway’s sister.Rodney has been using rehab and councilliors making up story’s of bad family upbring and child abuse which is all aload of rubbish for the past 10years and still the courts believe and give him bail.Rodney has assualted his step daughter whom i have custody off he did this in 1999, then awaiting sentencing he returned to Griffith nsw which was a breach of bail conditions and assualted our father in march 2001 which left him with a fractured right temprel lobe fracture to the base of his skull and bleeding of the brain our father was in hospital for a few months and then in a brain injury clinic learning how to do every day things again like a baby our dad went from a self employed house painter to a disabled pensioner over nigh and for both these offences rodney got 4 months in junne jail.also he set our chooks on fire drowned my sister;s dog assualted and harrassed our grandmother and grandfather threatening to burn there house down with them in it and still another state another judge all give him the better deal while his victom’s get the sentence.Rodney has threated myself on several occasions and has also said he loves jail free food roof over his head and can still get his drugs i do believe he will kill someone to get life as jail is the only lifestyle he enjoys and the courts are going to allow him to harm someone as they keep letting him out on bail. rodney had a great upbring and he has CHOSE this way of life himself so plase justice higgins have compassion for his victoms NOT him he does not deserve it.

tylersmayhem12:52 pm 30 Oct 08

Oh good greif…all of this is well beyond the point. This f**ker should be incarcerated. Any threats to ones life should carry a sentence. I can’t believe they bailed this guy!

what’s with his lawyer saying he’d put him on a bus to sydney and *hopes* he gets to rehab…thats the bit that concerns me…

you guys were joking about sending our problems to the queanbeyan police to deal with, is this a similar approach? 😉

Shuttup you Pommy Bastard!!

(I have nothing against your comment – I agree – I just had to say that however)

Practically every refuge has a “no substances” rule.

Justice Higgins appears to have no insight into how running one of these places would be like if the clients could bring in their drug of choice. Shambolic wouldn’t come close.

Pommy bastard11:52 am 30 Oct 08

Throwing him out wasonot, I believe, harsh. Taking booze in there not only shows little or no insight, and no commitment to change, but it also threatens the chances of recovery of others there.

Rules should be lines in the sand in such places, with concequences for stepping over them.

And ply him with booze.

barking toad said :

Sadly terry can’t be sacked.

Until he reaches the compulsory retirement age or gets hit by a bus we’re stuck with the fool.

Police must have sore foreheads from the bricks.

Maybe we should pitch in to buy Higgins a pushbike for Christmas, and then encourage him to take a ride upto Red Hill lookout on a hot day?

the canberra recovery centre has rules about bringing in substances… do it, get caught and you are out on your ear.

how is that harsh?

Maybe he should consider the other patients trying to shake the clutches of booze and drugs, how is it fair to expect they should have to tolerate that kind of behaviour from others?

barking toad11:00 am 30 Oct 08

Sadly terry can’t be sacked.

Until he reaches the compulsory retirement age or gets hit by a bus we’re stuck with the fool.

Police must have sore foreheads from the bricks.

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