The knife has come to Ireland

[muppet]

It would help if the courts didnt slap thugs caught with knives on the wrists. 

5 year mandatory sentance if caught with one or a firearm, that'll put an end to it.

Whilst I agree that something needs to be done to tackle knife crime, mandatory minimums are not the answer, they simply dont work as a deterrent and I think alternatives such as restorative justice initiatives could be examined with a lot of knife crime

What would this consist of and where has it been successful before?

Restorative justice has been highly successful in places like Canada and New Zeland for more than 40 years for certain types of crime for example possession of an offensive weapon and can take many forms.  Central to all of them though is the idea of involving the community, the victim and the offender.  Whilst many see them as a soft alternative I could show hundreds of studies that show the deterrent effect of RJ alternatives to be not that far off the deterrent effects of prison whilst the recidivism rates associated with RJ programs to be much lower than prison sentences.

RJ would certainly not be a viable alternative for all types of crime especially serious knife crime but for me it is worth looking at for offences such as possession of an offensive weapon.

Muppet I wouldnt call it reactionary police I know the idea of rj has become the headline of the day in recent years but it has been working successfully for decades in other parts of the world and may be worth a look at over here for more than just youths.  Longer sentences for carrying a knife though is as much if not more reactionary than rj

Furthermore the problem I have with the three strikes rule in the US is that it can be grossly and leaves no room for judicial discretion.  Jerry Williams was sentenced to life in prison for stealing a slice of pizza because he had a previous robbery and burglary charge, whilst I agree that had he committed three robbery offenses he may have deserved life, the fact he was sentenced to life for stealing a slice of pizza was ridiculous.

Sorry you misunderstood me, that is what i meant. Setting policy in reaction to the headline crime of the day, which is what is usually suggested, is hardly the way to go.

[sammymaguire]

has Limerick not been called STAB CITY for years and years??

[Eastern_Pride]

The word backhander has been lost on you.

Jaysus its a joke relax the kacks

[ardmhachaabu]

has Limerick not been called STAB CITY for years and years??

Yes

[sammymaguire]

so the knife coming to Ireland is not a new phenomenon then?

[ardmhachaabu]

No sammy, it's not new at all.  The OP seems to think he has hit on an exclusive

[muppet]

No sammy, it's not new at all.  The OP seems to think he has hit on an exclusive

Don't anyone tell him we have garlic crushers FFS.