I have recently left a message on the forum concerning "Five years ..too much..." which in summary, is about the recent case where a train worker has been imprisoned for five years, for sending a train on its way, when a young girl was leaning on the train at the time, and tragically fell to her death as a consequence of the train departing.
There have, as usual, been some intelligent debate as to the sentence - should the train official have been given a custodial sentence or not?. This has raised many questions in my mind, based on a recent experience, as to whether a custodial sentence is the right way to go for some people deemed guilty of due diligence and care.
We have a friend who was recently sent to prison for 2.5 years for an offence which took place 30 years ago. I cannot give the details, for obvious reasons, but there is much doubt as to whether a custodial sentence was the correct punishment. He has lost his career, his family are in daily torment, and he is imprisoned with offenders who have commited far more dangerous crimes than he. We write to him every week and will visit him soon but what good will this sentence do? The person who reported him for the supposed offence (30 years on ) has her revenge.......and he will be punished for every more, along with his family.....
There must be a better way to help people who have offended to repay the person they "offended".
When my Auntie who lived in Brixton all her life, was mugged and robbed in her own home, she was asked by the local authority, to take part in an experiment (this was 15 years or so ago.) She was asked if she would meet the offenders and then allow them to help her recuperate and to repair the damage they had done instead of being given a custodial sentence. She agreed to the "experiment" (which, of course, was under strict supervision) and the boys (only 16 or 17 years old at the time) had to visit her in hospital, spend time every week doing jobs for her and help to repay the damage they had caused her. It worked.......My Auntie died some 5 years later and the boys were at her funeral, to pay respects and to tell anyone who would listen that the forgiveness had changed their lives.....and they had never re-offended.
Surely this must be the way to go for some offences.......what do you all think?
We cannot use prison to punish all offenders......community service often does not not seem appropriate... it has to be something that helps the offended to forgive and for the offenders to be forgiven and sent on a different path.
