James Bulger murderer Jon Venables returned to prison

El Weirdo wrote: »

Pity, because his name was James Bulger.

There's always one smart arse.

IrishManSaipan wrote: »

You cannot rehabilitate everyone. For some, a nip behind the ear is in order.

That's fair and I absolutely agree there but at what point does it stop being punishment and start becoming a blood lust for revenge?

bonerm wrote: »

I think the method behind Bulgers killing is as much to do with the fury of people as the act itself. I think if these two had just been messing around with the toddler and had killed him by throwing a punch at his head or whatever then the anger wouldn't have been nearly as fierce (either in the media or the public).

However, every stage of the killing just shows sheer malace and the sinister nature of the pair behind it. They were up to no good but you could never have sympathy for someone who'd leave another person lying on a railway track to be chopped in two by an oncoming train.

Sorry, but I'm with the mob on this one.

And as I stated, the murder was definitely heinous but perhaps the boys should have been institutionalised in a mental hospital then rather than a prison? The Mary Bell case proves that child killers can be rehabilitated as evidenced by the book Cries Unheard which details the years of abuse Mary faced and the inappropriateness of trying a disturbed child by adult jury. Link to this is here. It's an interesting read.

donfers wrote: »

I've heard this argument many times. But I don't buy it anymore.

Blame society.

Blame their dirty flat.

Blame their lack of education.

Blame their abusive parents.

But heaven forbid that we should blame them.

You know what, many kids have had a raw deal from society, many kids live in ****eholes and leave school early and have the most disgusting abusive parents BUT THEY DON'T stick batteries in the mouth and anus of a toddler, batter him and torture him for hours with bricks and stones and sticks and iron bars and then weigh his head down with rubble on a railway line so the train cuts his body in two. No only the most evil of evil c**ts do this, there is no defense for this.

Yes, they may have had it tough growing up, yes their parents may be the most disgusting vile abusive people but I am sorry there is no excuse for what they did.

I don't think anybody is trying to excuse what they did, just trying to suggest reasons why they did what they did.

You say that the kids need to take responsibility for their actions, well you could flip that and say that the parents need to take responsibility for the behaviour of their children. If a dog owner constantly beat it's dog and the dog ended up biting someone I don't think people would blame the dog.

Millicent wrote: »

And what would life in prison achieve with two ten year old, possibly mentally ill boys? (Serious question) And evidently from some of the posts here, people would be happy to see them hung- and drawn and quartered.

Nothing really, but they gave up their chance at having a real life. Life in prison is better than allowing them back outside with new identities, I don't really care what happens to them in prison. If Venables is released again he'll probably need another new identity, and what would that achieve?

donfers wrote: »

I've heard this argument many times. But I don't buy it anymore.

Blame society.

Blame their dirty flat.

Blame their lack of education.

Blame their abusive parents.

But heaven forbid that we should blame them.

You know what, many kids have had a raw deal from society, many kids live in ****eholes and leave school early and have the most disgusting abusive parents BUT THEY DON'T stick batteries in the mouth and anus of a toddler, batter him and torture him for hours with bricks and stones and sticks and iron bars and then weigh his head down with rubble on a railway line so the train cuts his body in two. No only the most evil of evil c**ts do this, there is no defense for this.

Yes, they may have had it tough growing up, yes their parents may be the most disgusting vile abusive people but I am sorry there is no excuse for what they did.

I used to think that way. I don't think it's that straight forward though. Some people don't end up psychotic or criminal in ciriminal areas, or if they got abused, and then some do. There's no merits or gold medals if you don't. So I don't think there should be beatings if you become a result of a cause that's unclear. Modern science still can't explain why some minds are shaped the way that they are. It's not about finding an excuse, it shouldn't be, it should be about research into curbing it from ever happening again and behavioral studies, not violently reacting to it.

So give their brains to science and let the scientists cut them up to shreds :D

I'm no bleeding heart liberalist, I grew up in a pretty scummy area and have low tolerance for anti social behavior, but I don't think blaming them for just being that way when they were born and arranging a public flogging is going to change the base behavior. Sure, my initial gut reaction would be to flog them to death on the streets, but once I get over that and see that it's just self righteous indignation and highly judgmental gut reaction, I think that objective analysis is needed if crime and psychosis is to be solved or helped along in any way.

Landon Old Pigeon wrote: »

But what I find pretty sick about this thread is people saying that they should be sugar coated, hung drawn and quatered, burned at the stake....
Yes, do that to two ten year olds, Sharia law would have nothing on us!
Those are the types of acts that those two got sent away for...
I'm worried that people might actually want this, I find it kind of sick

Good point SLASHER.

It's frustrating how worthlessly people will focus their anger in these situations and often to show how much they care.
It was absolutely horrendous, enough said, seriously.

After half a page of the above, the thread really ought to have moved onto the ways society could try to prevent this from happening again (and it does and will) rather 5 pages mostly full of elaborate fantasy of retribution and carecock waving.

And that's why it will keep happening - because a lot of people are too caught up baying about the gory details to the detriment of ignoring the gory causes.

nacho libre wrote: »

if a child is a sociopath sometimes a good environment won't be enough to stop them breaking the law or doing something that is morally reprehensible. so in such cases it's unfair to hold the parents responsible when they have done their best to provide a moral framework for their child.
regarding the killers of James Bulger, if these two lads are sociopaths they didn't deserve to be released. I presume the parole board obviously determined that they are not.

I agree that the parents aren't always to blame but having read the details of this case, and in particular their upbringings, I'm not so sure in this case.

I'm sure the professionals involved in the case would be in a better position to assess their mental condition than any of us on Boards though.