13 August 2011

Greens trying to de-rail the Laura Norder train.

| johnboy
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The Greens’ Shane Rattenbury is courageously trying to introduce some rationality to the rush for longer sentencing options for judges (presented to us as “tougher sentences”).

The ACT Greens are calling for a full review of criminal sentencing in the ACT in light of the current raft of bills before the Assembly to increase penalties.

There will be three different Bills before the Assembly from the ALP and the Liberals that propose increases to sentences for more than 20 offences.

“Rather than doing sentencing reform in this piecemeal way, the Greens propose a full review of sentencing in the ACT to ensure that our sentencing regime is up to date and reflects community attitudes to justice”, said Shane Rattenbury, ACT Greens Attorney General spokesperson.

“We would propose this be done by an expert body such as the Australian Institute of Criminology who could be asked to look at:

— The effectiveness of the current sentencing regime in meeting the objectives of the Crimes (Sentencing) Act, including gathering statistical evidence;
— Comparisons with other State and Territory penalty regimes;
— Community attitudes to current sentencing outcomes, including discussion with key stakeholder groups such as police, victims, civil liberties groups and the legal profession;
— Any necessary changes in light of these investigations.

The view from here in the Eagle’s Nest is that sentencing in the ACT falls down when dealing with a small group of recidivist scum.

The sentencing of these psychopaths should, in my opinion, not be intended to either punish or rehabilitate, but simply to remove their capacity to cause further harm to the community.

Having said that one suspects that token chest beating and posturing by the major parties will be what we get.

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The Frots said :

I agree with your comments JB – it is the recidivist that needs to be flogged as the penalties here in the ACT are woefully poor.

It’s not the penalties that are poor, it’s the actual sentences handed down that are limp and timid.

What the Greens are asking is, effectively, what’s the point of increasing maximum sentences when we don’t hand out maximum sentences under the current system in the first place?

There is plenty of scope under the current system to lock up recidivist offenders longer. We just don’t seem to be taking that option.

David Cameron is an idiot and if people think that the London Riots were just “kids smashing and stealing stuff because they could” is pants on head retarded.

Yep, you have tens of thousands of people rioting because they just want to steal stuff, not the
– University reforms that make it pretty much impossible for young people through secondary education due to the cost.
– Thatcheresque policies that have been stripping down basic services
– Calls for deregulation of banks and institutions that caused the GFC
– Police State, Government signs that literally say “We are watching you!” with 10,000 CCTV cameras per person.
– Huge levels unemployment.
– Several massive scandals that show that the police force in the UK is as rotten as a 5 year old apple. (which sparked these riots, the shooting of a “Drug dealer” who supposedly shot at cops.. which the story is now turning out that the guy was unarmed and shot by police who then in turn shot their own radio to make it look like they were shot at, oh and then they didn’t bother contacting the family who only found out about the death through the media, and then the police still refused to talk to them)
– Millions take to the street and protest, Government says “LOL” and ignores them while making the media focus on the few bad apples and made those protests look like a anarchistic riot, oh and it didn’t help with police antagonizing the situation by surrounding protesters in riot gear and prematurely attacking peaceful protesters. (when in actual fact that people trying to riot and loot numbered likely under 100, there is a really good episode of Newswipe around these university reform protests that showed the media focusing on the like the 10 guys smashing windows, while the rest of the protesters were like “WTF are you doing?”)

But yeah, no, UK society is perfectly healthy and these riots are just a bunch of anarchist kids who want free stuff, because riots happen in perfectly healthy societies amirite?

God damn David Cameron is a f’ing moron.

Spectra said :

Brilliant! Once they have no money and nowhere to live, they’re bound to stop committing crimes!

Brilliant bit of shallow thinking there spectra.

Do you not think parents would be more inclinded to ensure their kids are not out thieving and vandalising if the penalty was so severe?

Do you not think that public housing tenant would be more likely to dob in miscreants if there was a chance that doing so would get the vermin thrown out?

Do you not think that deterrence is sadly lacking in ACT sentencing?

Do you not think there would be less inclination to petty vandalism, muggings, drug issues, rowdyism, car hoons, etc etc if the consequences of such actions would be losing the accommodation and benefits the taxpayer supplies?

Do you not think in these more austere days that those who take for granted and abuse not only the welfare system, but the society which supplies it, that less “rights” and more “responsibility” should be the order of the day.

Of course we risk unsettling the industry which has grown up around catering to the ner-do-wells and feckless, and the legions of middle class do gooders who rely on the underclass to provide them with not only work and pay, but also their regular dose of guilt assuaging.

Ben_Dover said :

Screw the greens. This is the sort of thinking we need;

British Prime Minister David Cameron has backed a call to withdraw welfare benefits from rioters as a London council became the first to begin evicting a tenant whose son faces unrest charges.

Brilliant! Once they have no money and nowhere to live, they’re bound to stop committing crimes!

vg said :

90% of Canberra’s crime committed by 5% of ‘our’ crooks. Lock up recidivists and see what happens

Yep. When you have people with 100+ criminal offences against their name is there any chance of rehabilitating them? Then you have the ones locked up for breaching their bail numerous times and they’re straight back out with a continuation of the same bail conditions and no punishment. I’d better stop there before this turns into a major rant.

Screw the greens. This is the sort of thinking we need;

British Prime Minister David Cameron has backed a call to withdraw welfare benefits from rioters as a London council became the first to begin evicting a tenant whose son faces unrest charges.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/cameron-backs-eviction-for-london-rioters-20110813-1irlo.html#ixzz1UtFkRhu5

“The sentencing of these psychopaths should, in my opinion, not be intended to either punish or rehabilitate, but simply to remove their capacity to cause further harm to the community.”

In a nutshell. I’ve had experience of a certain group of thieves, who are based in Narrabundah and Oaks Estate, and the police know who they are, they re-visit properties to commit the same crimes again and again. Put. Them. Away.

Double for those who are violent. Just remove them from the gene pool, our homes, our shopping centres, wherever they repeatedly commit their crimes. Put them away.

90% of Canberra’s crime committed by 5% of ‘our’ crooks. Lock up recidivists and see what happens

I agree with your comments JB – it is the recidivist that needs to be flogged as the penalties here in the ACT are woefully poor.

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