Judicial Punishment

The days of judicial punishment on convicted criminals are long gone mores the pity and the system of punishment meted out isn't near severe enough. There's no way it will come back.
Smacking kids in the home, now that's somethin that could really teach a bit of respect to spoilt brats. Unfortunately parents are afraid to give their kids a slap these days for fear of the repercussions. 1984 - kids are caught vandalising property. Gardai bring them home. Parents give them a good leathering, they have a sore behind, learn their lesson and the family move on. 2014 - kids are caught vandalising properly. Gardai bring them home. Parents give them a good leathering. Parents are arrested and charged with assault. Kids removed by social services. Kids learn nothing!!!!!!!!

kub wrote: »

Have to disagree with you there, more like 2014 - kids caught vandalising property, Gardai arrive, kids tell Gardai to ...... off, as they know they are under age and know the lads cannot really do much. Eventually after calling for back up the Gardai manage to bring the kids home to their parents.
Then the abuse from the parents begins, starting with the fact that the Gardai were wronging their kids, that it was others and that they should really be spending their time catching real criminals instead of picking on their saintly kids. They are then asked to please remove their patrol car from their property as it just does not look good.
Cue a visit to their solicitor, an investigation by the Ombudsman and then probably a bollocking from their superior officers.

Meanwhile fast forward 15 years and those kiddies above have grown into mature disrespectful criminals.

We read and hear an awful lot about the "Revolving Door" system of Irish criminal justice,kub's post above,outlines in simple detail how that door first starts to spin.

NOTHING can be done to stop the spinning UNLESS it begins at the START of the process.

The entire Garda Juvenile Liason Scheme operation is in urgent need of detailed revision.

Currently,it is being used as a highly valuable preparation ground for progression into the Adult Criminal world and there is really no better place to learn the ropes than in a live environment !!

Potential-Monkes suggestion is surely well worth serious consideration...

Corporal punishment will not be brought back. But something needs to deter criminals, and the current system does not work. I believe we also need an Ombudsman for Judges, as some of them don't seem to remember what it's like for the regular folk who are most often than not the victims of these criminals. How in this day and age criminals with massive previous convictions are still walking around is beyond me. It's like the Judges are afraid to give hefty sentences to repeat offenders, and often fall into the trap of the sob story of the criminals.

There is now an ongoing routine of Judges,particular in the Higher Courts,delivering judgements which,in a real-world environment,are incapable of logical explanation,yet apart from a somewhat dubious "Appeal by the DPP" process,the Judge's decision cannot be subject to reasonable review.

This sort of thing,to my mind,should be subject to robust questioning...

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/violent-criminal-wont-serve-extra-jail-time-for-hit-run-death-of-conor-14-30087076.html

A classic case for an Ombudsman's attention I feel ???