Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Lord Black said he believes locking up non-violent offenders is wrong

"It's done because it's always been done but it is nonsense. It is not the way to treat them. It's horribly expensive. It's tokenistic, fetishistic – and a matrix for the magnification of abuse and the exacerbation of sociopathic problems."

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/conrad-black-blasts-mulcair-over-british-criminal-cheap-shot/article2439477/?service=mobile

7 comments:

Stephen Downes said...

Not surprisingly, Black does not want to be punished for his criminal behaviour.

James C Morton said...

There is no doubt he has an interest -- but it doesn't mean he isn't right. Too many nonviolent offenders, mainly drug users, are in jail for no reason.

Anonymous said...

You know what they say, "a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged and a liberal is a conservative who has been to prison".

Amazing what a little time in the dock will do to change your outlook on life.

Stephen Downes said...

I don't think Black can be compared to a drug user. Using drugs is a victimless crime, quite unlike Black's.

Real people were harmed in a real way by what Black did. He should do jail time unless you can think of some better sanction (you can't just fine somebody like Black for a crime like fraud - he simply walks away with more money than when he started).

The Rat said...

Really, how many people are in jail in Canada for "drug use"? I'd bet none. I'd bet what people mean by "drug use" or "drug users" is theft. Now theft may be "non-violent" to you but it seems a rather large invasion to me. Maybe they didn't beat anyone when they broke into that house or garage, or walked into a hospital and stole an old lady's rings but they still deserve jail time if just to give us a break from the break-ins.


Some criminologists estimate 70% of crimes are committed by 5-6% of criminals
. Read the first link above to see one guy who, with over 100 convictions, keeps walking away from court because he is "non-violent". I wonder how much better our society would be if we just incarcerated those 5-6% of criminals indefinitely instead of trying to rehabilitate those that cannot be rehabilitated. A 70% drop in crime sounds pretty good to me.

The Rat said...

An addendum, the guy I mentioned, Tracy Lloyd Caza, with over 100 convictions IS a violent offender who likes to assault old ladies and he is still free. He gets concurrent sentences and small stints and because he assaults old ladies he gets segregation and therefore reduced sentences. That is what is wrong with our "justice" system.

Anonymous said...

"using drugs is a victimless crime..."?

That is about the stupidest thing I have ever read.