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How to deal with crime – now!
We
are losing the battle against crime. Having tried all the
consultative, touchy feely, warm fuzzy methods, crime has
increased. It is time to take positive, effective action.
New Zealand is now 2nd highest in victims of crime per capita
in the world! Once again, Australia beats us for first place!.
United States is 15th place. This is appalling.
Yes,
you and your family are now very likely to be victims of crime.
It may only be something stolen from you, it could well be
worse. Some people think that crime only happens to other
people. Hopefully, you are more aware than those people. The
following are United Nations research figures from 2002:
World
statistics on victims of crimes:
We
have the highest number of rapes per capita:
World
statistics on rape:
Here
is how to both effectively minimise crime and deal with existing
serious criminals so that they are no longer a threat to you
and your family.
Crime
is defined as an unlawful action punishable by three years
or more in prison. If you steal a newspaper valued at $1,
it is an offence and has a lesser penalty than a crime.
When
a person commits a crime and is charged as a first offender,
regardless whether they are an 8-year-old or an 80-year-old,
make them serve a minimum of one month in prison. At first,
this may sound pretty heavy-handed.
Unfortunately,
the family discussions, Social Welfare supervisions and other
measures employed recently have resulted in an escalation
of criminal activity. There has been no short sharp shock
and it has left us with children who have grown up gradually
being led into expecting that nothing bad will happen to them
if commit a crime. By the time they do go to prison in their
late teens, they have been gradually eased into expecting
it and therefore, under the current regime, it has no deterrent
effect.
I
can hear some of you thinking I don’t want my family member
going to prison just because they fell by the wayside for
the first time. To counter this, I believe that the first
time a person commits a crime they should receive one and
only one chance to make amends and lead a law-abiding life
in future.
To
this end, I would suggest that the first criminal conviction
receive complete suppression both from being publicly published
and from showing as a criminal conviction on their record.
(An exception would be if their first crime was a serious
one that resulted in them serving more than 2 years prison.)
It
would be conditional that they do not offend again. On their
first transgression they have the conviction suppressed and
not officially recorded. This is on the understanding that
if they re-offend and commit another crime, that the first
and any subsequent crime is publicly published and recorded
as a conviction.
I have heard all the excuses offered in Court that some elderly
or frail relative will die if the name is published etc. This
is rubbish. It is just an excuse to avoid publication. If
publication is truly a worry to the criminal then more reason
to publish. Any method of making crime undesirable is fine
by me.
Offend
once and keep out of trouble thereafter would mean no conviction
publicly published and to all intents and purposes, no record.
Re-offend and we jump on them so hard they wish they were
never born.
Any
subsequent conviction for a crime must carry as a minimum
penalty, one which is equal to or greater than the heaviest
penalty that has been given for any previous conviction. They
must never receive a lesser penalty for a subsequent criminal
act.
Quite
simply, we are saying “Stop committing crimes or we will make
it so that you cannot continue to do so.” I believe this is
very fair, up-front approach.
How
will we deal with our existing and well established serious
criminals?
Firstly,
do a computer analysis to establish the 1000 worst criminals
currently not in jail or awaiting trial for a crime.
Summons
them to Court and advise them that they are on their final
warning. If they fail to appear, serve papers on them advising
them that they are on final warning as follows:
Record
that they have been advised of the action that WILL take place
should they commit any crime after that moment.
If
they commit any crime after this warning, they will be sentenced
to a minimum of 10 years in Prison even if that crime carries
a lesser maximum term. (Remember that these people have had
plenty of chances to turn their lives around before this.
Many will have committed hundreds of crimes.).
If
the crime they are now charged with carries a maximum of more
than 10 years, they will serve the maximum available. eg.
if they commit a burglary which carries a 14 year penalty
then the full 14 years will be imposed. They cannot say they
have not been warned.
Any
Prison sentence imposed as a result of this system will be
in full with no parole. Good behaviour is the expected “norm”.
Bad behaviour should result in an extended sentence.
There
are two types of criminal simplified to the “bad’ and although
politically incorrect, the “mad”. The “bad” try to beat the
system by coming up with a better plan or way each time, the
“mad” cannot help themselves. Either way, they have to be
taken out of circulation to “prevent” them committing crimes.
It is basically “tough love”. “We love you, however, if you
won't or can't stop, we will prevent you from committing crimes.
You choose what your future life will be!”
What
is the cost of such a system. With 2.42 million taxpayers
(even a person on a benefit pays $2500 per year tax), the
cost of 1000 extra prisoners at $72,000 per year each, comes
to only $29.75c total per taxpayer per year. It would be almost
half that if private prisons were used. Shall we make it,
the top 3,000 criminals instead of 1,000. I am more than willing
to pay! So would more than 92% of voters.
We
should be prepared to build prisons as necessary. None of
this “You should be sent to prison but there is no room so
I am going to fine you or put you on home detention”. What
a joke albeit a sick one.
The
concept of a deterrent prison offered here is not one of "lock
them up and let them rot". We do not advocate prisons
full of "the doomed".
Our
objective is to have productive, non-offending members of
society.
Many
people feel helpless and think that they can do nothing. Not
so, just as the laws have been made over the years, we can
alter, amend, update or repeal them.
Offenders
need to know from the outset that their offending is unacceptable
and will not be tolerated.
They
need to know what will happen if they break the rules. The
concept can be taught in schools so that there is no doubt
whatsoever in the minds of our budding offenders that this
is what will happen if they break the rules. No ifs, no buts,
no soft options.
The
Americans brought in the "three strikes, you are out"
in several States. They introduced the legislation effective
from day one. No pre-warning or chance to think about the
results. Shortly thereafter, an offender with two previous
convictions was arrested for theft of a slice of pizza. Prison
for life.
A
quick way to fill prisons with relatively minor offenders
for life. Draconian stupidity. It does however, reflect the
way the community feels about crime.
Let
us keep our prisons for the serious, repeat offenders who
in the long run bring misery and stress into our lives.
The
legislation should not be an optional course of action at
the Court's discretion but one the Court's will impose.
The
prisons will have rules given to the inmates upon entry. The
rules will be rigidly applied. The idea is that they will
find the prison to be fair and absolutely firm in the application
of the rules. Ultimately, these prisons are places they will
tell their associates they don't want to re-visit.
With
the system of never receiving a lesser sentence that the one
previously imposed, the penalties will ratchet upward. Basically,
if the offender keeps offending, the sentences keep getting
tougher until the offender is no longer free to commit crime.
Prisons may not work toward rehabilitating offenders but criminals
sure as hell can’t commit crimes that affect us, while they
are incarcerated.
Remember
that we don't want prisons full of long term prisoners. Unfortunately,
those that cannot or will not learn that we find their behaviour
unacceptable will have to be taken out of circulation until
a better system is devised.
It
is far cheaper for you, the taxpayer, to have a repeat offender
in prison than it is to have them free in society! Why is
this? Our Insurance premiums are higher because of crime,
there are less hospital beds available as victims of crime
are occupying them. We pay 5% more for our groceries to cover
shoplifting losses. (The average family pays about $500 per
year by way of increased prices to cover the cost of shoplifting).
The
prison system itself needs to be re-visited. At the moment
the system is theoretically set up to rehabilitate the offender.
Is it working? Earlier intervention is needed. By the time
the Courts reluctantly send an offender to prison, they are
usually so set in their criminal ways that it is a lifestyle.
They build friendships, join gangs and plan their next crime.
Look at the prisoner released less than two hours a few years
back and then being involved in a fatal bank hold-up attempt.
Just because the existing prison system has not been effective
does not mean that the one suggested here will fail. There
are several major differences.
Remember,
the system I suggest is one, which is meant to make a criminal
dislike it so intensely that they feel the benefits of committing
crime are far, outweighed by the penalties.
The
prison where first offenders spend their first sentence should
be as Spartan and undesirable as possible.
I
believe that we need individual cells each containing a basic
bed, toilet, shower, desk and wardrobe. Being alone in a cell
will give them time to think. As well as that, they cannot
make friends or enemies there. Lights out should be 9pm. Each
cell should be numbered and the occupant wears a bib bearing
that number. They should be called by their number rather
than their name. Dale Carnegie said that the sweetest sound
was hearing ones name spoken. Let’s take away that sweetness.
A simple, cost free measure designed to make them hate the
place. Some will say that dehumanises them. How sad – what
have they been doing to us? Do they really deserve to be treated
as humans? Reluctantly, we have to but let’s not go overboard.
Each
morning after breakfast, the inmates should go to their cells
and take their meager possessions to their new rostered numbered
cell. They would then clean the cell and toilet/shower before
inspection. If they refuse, then they should be locked into
that cell for 24 hrs. Cell and number changes to happen every
day. This is to keep them off balance and severely disliking
the place. The more they hate it, the less likely they are
to re-offend.
The
dining hall should have numbered seats whereby the seating
pattern of where an inmate sits changes every day. This minimises
the chances of making friends or enemies while in prison.
Clothing
should be plain prison issue right down to underwear. No sport
shoes, individual clothing, or jewelry.
Two
weeks into the sentence arrange for them to attend a video
presentation, which lists all the pleasures they miss out
on while in prison. Something along the lines of “Do any of
you enjoy sports? Not only is there none in here but you can’t
even watch it on television.”
Do any of you like driving cars – no cars in here.
Enjoy
relationships – not really available in here.
List
other subjects such as hanging out with their friends, drinking
alcohol, freedom to go where they like, good food, takeaways,
cellphones, texting, computers, staying up late. Spell out
in plain language just what they miss out on by being in prison
and the benefits of being a law-abiding citizen.
Food
would be plain simple fare providing sound nutrition. This
is not a holiday camp and we do not want them back.
Measures
will also be in place to prevent friendships building within
the prison and to reprogram thinking towards good behaviour.
This is not a place where one can learn from fellow inmates
how to burgle, steal and hone up other criminal activities.
Unruly,
obstructive or disruptive behaviour will result in the withdrawal
of privileges or even a Court hearing with extension of sentences.
The message is that crime will not be tolerated. Good behaviour
is the expected normal and no parole or reduction of sentence
will be considered. If anyone keeps breaking the law then
obviously they cannot be allowed free in society.
For
those of you who wish to check just how bad some N.Z. criminals
are:
Sensible
Sentencing Trust criminal histories and photos:
What
can you do to help?
Contact
Members of Parliament and tell them your thoughts on crime.
Write
letters to the Editors.
Join
the Sensible Sentencing Trust through this link.
Help
fight crime:
Refer
our website to your friends via the “Tell a friend” link.
If
you agree with our thoughts don’t expect everyone else to
do something toward better, effective law and order. Get involved
– take part!
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