Brianna Ghey

Thank you. I feel much concern for the three families, one mother will never hold or see her daughter again, two mothers
know their children are in a very dark place , they are mothers

Anniebach of course you can be concerned for both families.

Fortunately Annie, you aren’t alone if feeling compassion for the families of these two young people

I express my concern for the families of the two young people ,
was told ‘my sympathy is for Brianna’s family’, seems one cannot be concerned for all

Farzanah

My thoughts exactly Iam. I don’t understand why opinions have to be polarised in the way they seem to be.

I don’t think opinions are polarised- people are capable of nuanced thought. It’s the way in which assumptions are made about those opinions - ‘if you think X you must also think Y’ that is so simplistic. Not wanting cruelty to prisoners doesn’t mean lack of sympathy for victims of crime.

My thoughts exactly Iam. I don’t understand why opinions have to be polarised in the way they seem to be.

Well said, Iam. How is it not obvious that not wanting to bring back torture doesn’t equate to a lack of sympathy for the victims or support for the killers? That is such simplistic thinking.

Do prisoners get pizza and fizzy drinks? I have no idea, but I doubt it given the budgets allocated to that sort of thing. All the same I don’t think that not wanting them to live on bread and water means that I don’t have every respect for Brianna’s mother. How could it?

nanna8

In the old days they would have been publicly humiliated, stocks, beatings etc. In some countries today they would be publicly caned and imprisoned. They are lucky they live in the UK. Pizza for lunch and fizzy soft drinks all round.

So, bring back the stocks or introduce public canings? In what kind of universe is that going to improve anything?
These young people are being punished, they’ve lost their liberty. Even if they’re ever considered safe enough to be released, it will be on life licence. Any suggestion of criminal or other behaviour that raises concern for public safety and they’ll be back into an adult prison.
The fact I’d rather live in a society that punishes in that way doesn’t mean I’m ‘sympathetic’ to the murderous. It means I don’t want to live in a country with a death penalty, or mediaeval punishment systems.

Whatever you read into it. Not particularly,personally but I do think they should be punished for what they’ve done. That poor kid and her family have my sympathy. Those kids who did it - sorry but no.

You sound very disappointed

In the old days they would have been publicly humiliated, stocks, beatings etc. In some countries today they would be publicly caned and imprisoned. They are lucky they live in the UK. Pizza for lunch and fizzy soft drinks all round.

Personally I have absolutely no sympathy for the teenage killers. They have probably been assessed and deemed to be a threat to society.However I have been very impressed by Brianna,s mother.That lady shows great composure and appears to have no hatred for the two who took her daughters life. I,m not sure I could show such restraint.

There have been a number of murders reportedly committed by people of 15/16 of late, mainly stabbing. I think Brianna’s murder has attracted more attention as she was transgender and considerable plotting and research on the Dark Web was involved. The fact is that far too many young people consider it acceptable to carry knives and to use them.

Let us put this murder, dreadful though it was, in persepctive.

I opened the BBC News site and read two reports where, in total, 6 young men were sentenced to long prison sentences at two seperate murder trials for 2 seperate murders. All were +/- 16 when the murders were committed. In each case these were targeted murders, although there was no suggestion that the victims were gang members, just that someone in the group had taken against them for one reason or another.

Lack of mental health support in prisons very much in news
today

I have some faith in the Secure Units I’ve been involved with. They get the most challenging, damaged and damaging young people so it’s not surprising their success rates aren’t high. Despite this my experience was of generally supportive staff who do their best in difficult circumstance's

I have little faith in parole boards. I hope that the system will have improved long before these two are eligible to apply.

But nanna8, they will not be released if they are not considered rehabilitated.

Remember, their sentence is a life sentence 'at his majesty's pleasure, with a minimum of 20/22 years. They could be locked up for life.

This sentence is different from a fixed sentence of, for example, 30 years, with a minumum sentence of 20/22 years, when no matter what they do they would have to be released after 30 years.

I like your optimism. I hope you are right. My work experience says differently.

nanna8 Why not? It has nevr been suggested that Robert Thompson or Mary Bell have not grown up into kind considerate adults.

These children committed their crimes when they were 15 and they will be nearly 40 when they ar released. When they are released, they will be given new identities and closely monitored.

Other child or youth killers have served long sentences and then been reintegrated into society - and we know nothing about it. For all you know the 60 year old man, with a youngish family, living down the road, could have committed a terrible crime when he was 16, or 18, or 20 and now be rehabilitated.

Caters= carers

Somehow I can’t see them morphing into kind,considerate adults,either. They will have had very unusual backgrounds by the time they are released and some good caters, some not so good. Don’t tell me that some won’t treat them harshly - it is human nature and they will be judged and treated accordingly.

I think this comes as a warning to parents of neurodivergent teens to be very aware of what they are doing on line. They were obviously very heavily influenced by what they found on the Dark Web and were ready to become obsessed with trying out what they saw. Personally I can't see that changing however many years they spend in prison or hospital. I doubt that either of them will wake up one morning and say " Oh what a terrible thing I did!"

However the teenage brain develops, a 15 year old will have a clear idea of what is considered right and wrong in their society - and killing people is firmly on the wrong side of the boundary.

Where the clueless teenage mind comes into play, is their deluded belief that they would never be found out, despite leaving clues everywhere.

Nor had they thought forward about about what the punishment would be if they were caught.. They are now in the prison system for the next 20 years at least. When their contemporaries reach 18 and are bursting on the world, going off to university, starting jobs, meeting up with friends, going on holiday, they will be prisoners banged up in adult prisons. Never going out, never smelling the breeze, seeing spring flowers, watching lambs gambolling, swimming in the sea.

When their contemporaries are partnering, marrying, having children and careers. They will still be banged up in adult prisons.

Thanks Farzanah. Being well informed helps us manage our feelings, something that’s needed here