Guardian article on crime, and my response

Read the article here

Dear Simon Jenkins,

Thanks for the article. Much of it I agree with.

When my girlfriend was raped I looked very deeply into the subject of crime and punishment, and found it very difficult to come up with adequate answers. Shortly after the rape, I contacted my local MP to discuss the matter. He really had nothing of any value whatsover to offer. Nothing at all. The rapist, who'd subjected my girlfriend to some pretty nasty things, got a sentence of 4 years, did about 20 months, was released, then raped a 16 year old at knifepoint, much as I'd expected.
He's now doing a life sentence. Perhaps he's out already and raping - and now maybe even murdering - young women. Who knows?

What your article misses is the question "who actually deals with these people?" I mean, in the prisons, in the instituations, the borstals, detention centres and so on.

Personally, I think the idea of locking a bunch of criminals together then letting them out again one day is absolutely absurd. Ideally, each one would be taken out of his environment, and if he's not going to be executed and just be done with it, then he'd have to be given something that no governement, and not many societies, have the courage to propose. And that's love.

I bet that lost your attention, didn't it?

But it's the truth. None of us really wants to grapple with this ugly monster that we want a government to deal with. None of us wants a criminal next door, let alone in our lives, as some project that we need to rescue and rehabilitate. We all want out cosy lives, and just as much as we want someone else to take away the garbage, we want someone else to do the difficult loving, while we live our middle class, sensitive, nimby lifestyles.

And that's why crime continues to escalate.

When a government can sell the idea of love to society, then maybe there's some hope. But I can promise you that it's the only thing that'll work. You can theorise and intelligently criticise to your heart's content, but at the end of the day, someone's going to have to sit down and listen to every criminal, and teach them what respect is by example, and by compassion. And frankly, I don't thnk there are many people either up to, or willing, to do the job.

And besides, you and I both know the pay would be lousy.

Regards,


Jack Lee.