Quote:
Originally Posted by kestrelx
Don't you think that it's the influence of American culture that is influencing the gang crime in this country that is responsible for the increase in shootings and stabbings etc?
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You have a point there, and Eric you are talking a lot of sense. Please continue.
I would like to mention a case from personal experience and see what you think. I have visited five prisons in my time: Wormwood Scrubs, Dartmoor, Kingston (Portsmouth), Portland (Dorset) and Channings Wood (Devon) as a school friend of my partner was gaoled for life in the mid 1970s for stabbing his mother in law with whom he was having an affair at the time. He was still in prison in the 1990s so not all murderers get out after 10 or 12 years as has been suggested. Eventually he was sent to one of the prisons on the IOW, Parkhurst I think, where we did not visit him. He was hanged eventually... by his own hand.
Now I don't know what mental problems he had, as I didn't know him before he went to prison, but I'm sure they didn't improve while he was inside. I also don't know why he was inside for so long. I think most murderers must have some degree of instability to do what they do.
My question is - would it have been better to hang him on day 1 rather than try to sort him out? I don't agree with a life for a life but you can never tell whether someone will respond to rehabilitation attempts before they start.