The knife has come to Ireland

Started by Capt Pat, August 17, 2009, 05:39:31 PM

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muppet

Quote from: David McKeown on August 18, 2009, 08:08:44 AM
Quote from: pintsofguinness on August 18, 2009, 12:30:26 AM
Quote from: David McKeown on August 17, 2009, 10:55:10 PM
Quote from: under the bar on August 17, 2009, 10:05:25 PM
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.
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sammymaguire

has Limerick not been called STAB CITY for years and years??
DRIVE THAT BALL ON!!

Eastern_Pride

Quote from: hardstation on August 18, 2009, 11:33:05 PM
The word backhander has been lost on you.
Jaysus its a joke relax the kacks
Do you think Usain Bolt could replace Thomas Walsh?

ardmhachaabu

Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something

sammymaguire

so the knife coming to Ireland is not a new phenomenon then?
DRIVE THAT BALL ON!!

ardmhachaabu

No sammy, it's not new at all.  The OP seems to think he has hit on an exclusive ;)
Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something

muppet

Quote from: ardmhachaabu on August 19, 2009, 06:08:44 PM
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.
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