NOW BURGLARS WILL NOT BE JAILED

Daily Express ^ | July 9,2008 | Tom Whitehead

[george76]

BRITAIN’S soft justice system hit a new low yesterday with plans to scrap prison sentences for burglars.

Hundreds of thousands of crooks could escape jail every year under the proposals by advisers to the Lord Chief Justice.

Those sentenced to short, sharp shock jail terms of less than 12 months for “less serious offences” – including burglary – should be handed community penalties instead,

Even those who are likely to reoffend could walk free from court if it is believed they will go on to commit “non-serious offences”.

And in a further blow, while courts must not be swayed by victims demanding harsher punishments for offenders, the advisers said that judges should listen if they call for leniency.

Critics said the proposals would do nothing to calm the fears of law-abiding members of the public who have lost their faith in the criminal justice system, and would not deter those intent on crime.

Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Herbert said burglary is “deeply upsetting for its victims and should not be dealt with lightly”. He added: “People rightly expect that offenders who invade their home will be dealt with severely, and they have little confidence in weak community sentences which too often aren’t even properly enforced.”

Retired judge Keith Matthewman QC called the proposals “an absolute disgrace”. He said: “Criminals laugh at community sentences.

More than 292,000 burglaries were reported to police last year.

[NonValueAdded]

OK, they are out of their freaking minds. Of course, the best, brightest and most adventurous always went out into the empire for centuries. Add to that the death toll of two World Wars not to mention Napoleon and I guess this should come as no surprise from a Darwinian perspective. All that's left is milquetoast.

Send in Joe Horne.

[smoketree]

Send in Sherrif Joe Arpaio

[John Williams]

And now the British government will be completely baffled when confronted with soaring burglary rates. Of course this new policy and the coinciding crime rate rise will never be connected by the rather thick officials presiding over Ol’ Blighty.

[eclecticEel]

Got to clear out the prisons of regular offenders to make room from the thought-criminals.

[GMMC0987]

Seems like a good idea since they’ll need the room to lock up people who try to defend themselves!

[Lurker]

Britain is doomed.

L

[Cyropaedia]

Got to clear out the prisons of regular offenders to make room from the thought-criminals.

You mean those "racist" three year olds who say, "yuck".

[Porterville]

Where would you rather live:

Today’s Britain or yesterday’s Russia.

I would feel more free in the forest of the CCCP

[Prole]

They're finished.

Any white British male who stays there is either crazy or dedicated to some sort of backlash movement I have yet to see.

[billmor]

Phooey, just abolish the whole friggin criminal penal system and you won’t have the expense of jails or the embarrassment of freeing hard core criminals...So funny..one year they make all the UK citizens turn in their guns...next they free the burglars...

Free the poor victims of a dastardly jail system...if a homeowner needs to defend his home, let him use a flashlight...

Let Freedom ring—until someone steals the bell...

[CurlyDave]

On the other hand, let some homeowner catch a burglar in the act, and if he does anything in self-defense he will be jailed.

There is plenty of room in the jails for law-abiding homeowners.

[eclecticEel]

Today’s Britain or yesterday’s Russia.

If the comparison is between today's Britain vs. today's Russia; there's no contest - Russia wins.

[Randy Papadoo]

Hey! Our libs try to do this all the time. Couple months’ back, there were a flurry of editorials and self-appointed-expert opinions that proclaimed that 20% of the peeps in US prisons now, could be released to community service, etc.

These writings never once mentioned that the folks in prison earned their way there via multiple prior offenses (not to mention the heavy-duty felonies) such as burglary, shoplifting, and the like. The writers wrote as if these folks were just unfortunate first-timers.

I think CA first passed a three-strikes sentencing law, and it was aimed at incarcerating those folks who never wised up after being convictred of two felonies. There was a case that raised a lot of discussion after a guy got a felony prison sentence for robbing a kid of a piece of pizza.

Now, if you think that sentence was excessive, how many more crimes would you commit if you had been caught and convicted only one time? No more, because you’re smart, right. Three felonies, under the original three-strikes law, pretty much defined a perp as a “habitual criminal”, and the extra sentencing was called a “bitch” (habitual, see?)

But the program, picked up by several states, soon got watered down to violent crimes only, to avoid sending pizza thieves on long trips to prison. (Even that case was a violent felony, however, because the perp “robbed” the victim to take the pizza. Don’t know if the perp had a weapon or not.)

IMO, the British panel is just a lib group whose ideas got a little too much publicity. The court will not take their advice, in no small part because the citizens, having read the article, will voice strong opinion.

I don’t get it with the British citizens having to give up owning firearms. But that’s another topic, and I know nothing of the matter.

[Iron Munro]

It boggles the mind.

No wonder Argentina is starting to make noises about another attempt to take the Falklands Islands from Britain.

They figure the worst the Brit government will do is issue them a citation for unwarranted public display of aggressiveness.

[ME-262]

No wonder Argentina is starting to make noises about another attempt to take the Falklands Islands from Britain. They figure the worst the Brit government will do is issue them a citation for unwarranted public display of aggressiveness.

Queen Charles will be very put out and insist that his dearest manservant politely go on a fabulous peace mission to ask for it back, lest they arouse his flaming dissatisfaction.

[LuxMaker]

Protect the bullies for the lose.

[pyrless]

“Criminals laugh at community sentences. The only thing they are frightened of is prison.”

In the USA, burglary is a much more high-risk career — thank God for our 2nd Amendment. I’d feel naked without my house gun. Poor Brits.

I read their comments, and saw a lot of bluster about “Just let some knife-wielding burglar try to get my stuff,” but they’d have to go hand-to-hand. And then go to jail. No Castle Law at all. Bless our founders.

[PowderMonkey]

“Even those who are likely to reoffend could walk free from court if it is believed they will go on to commit “non-serious offences.”

Of course that ignores the well-established behavioral pattern that usually evolves as the novice perp grows more bold, and more accustomed to aggressive behavior. He will transition from trespass, to criminal trespass, to breaking and entering, and ultimately to forced entry of occupied dwelling while armed. From there, there's no limit to the level of violence and agression employed.

[Wolfie]

The fix is simple enough. It’s also labeled “terrorism”, but it’s still simple enough.

[Mister Da]

Hey folks, don't worry about this! It will not last long!

As soon as Britain becomes a muslim state, with sharia as the law, the chopping block will return & there will be security in the land once more!

[Ole Okie]

When a felon’s not engaged in his employment,
Or maturing his felonious little plans,
His capacity for innocent enjoyment,
Is just as great as any common man’s.

Gilbert and Sullivan

[yankeedame]

And when a cutthroat's not a jumpin' on his mother
He loves to lie a sleepin' in the sun.
Ah, take one consideration with another
A policeman's life is not a happy one.

--ditto--

[OldNavyVet]

Britain once solved a similar problem by sending prisoners to Australia.

[Wil H]

And now the British government will be completely baffled when confronted with soaring burglary rates

No, they won't be baffled.

They'll make a pronouncement that it is due to social inequality and the Brit's inability to adjust to the modern demands of accepting integration with Islamic values.

Then they will call for higher taxes to pay for programs to re-educate the population.

[Doomonyou]

(Even that case was a violent felony, however, because the perp “robbed” the victim to take the pizza. Don’t know if the perp had a weapon or not.)

IIRC, the poip walked up to a little kid on the beach and just swiped it and walked away.

Still, served the idiot right.

[supercat]

I think CA first passed a three-strikes sentencing law, and it was aimed at incarcerating those folks who never wised up after being convictred of two felonies.

I believe California's "three strikes" law passed in the 1990's. In 1960, though, in the Twilight Zone episode "Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room", Jackie Rhoades was nervous because he'd been prosecuted twice and, "Three strikes and out". Would he have been talking about a law, or the reputation of a particular judge, or what?

[oneamericanvoice]

The advisers to the Lord Chief Justice should be sacked! Hope the burglers find their addresses. Moral idiots all! Further proof of Europe’s decline. Winston would not approve.

[the invisib1e hand]

either the british press is making all this up or the lunatics are really running the asylum over there.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

What happened to the British Empire of old? Who ruled the seas, conquered new lands, gave the world English, law, science, philosophy, the arts?

[The KG9 Kid]

"... Where would you rather live: Today’s Britain or yesterday’s Russia?

Honestly, probably still today's Britain, but the fact that I had to think about it for awhile is telling enough. The UK hasn't quite yet turned into the USSR, but they're trying.

In pondering your question, I imagined that at least in the early formative years of the Soviet Union, it might not have been totally dreadful to be assigned to some Ukrainian sorghum collective driving a tractor all day in the sun and enjoying vodka-fuelled folk dances at the end of the day with some young thick-legged blonde woman who could put a scissor-squeeze on your midsection with her thighs.

I mean, anything's better than getting stabbed to death.