Do you remember when you were 14 years old? If you were male, you probably remember all that energy you had and how quickly you could become angry. If you were female, you probably felt a bit differently. But I'm not female, so I can't be sure.
Now remember getting angry at somebody, maybe getting in a fight.
Remember how much you were thinking, "Hey, if I really hurt this guy, I could go to jail for 10 years. I guess I'll just stop right now."
Because 14 year old boys are very pragmatic about these things.
So, we can safely conclude that Stephen Harper's idea of lengthening the maximum criminal sentence of a 14 year old from 10 to 25 years will surely to put an end to such violence.
Right. Totally reasonable. Except in Quebec where it will only apply to kids 16 years and older. Apparently our children here every else in Canada are beyond help, whereas Quebec's children are more sophisticated.
Sigh.
How stupidly reactionary do the Conservatives have to be? Longer sentences simply don't deter youth crime. Criminals, especially children, don't expect to get caught. What does it matter what the punishment is?
The answer, if anyone cares to listen, is to find out what could possibly drive a child to commit murder and find out how to stop that. We don't want giant prisons full of maladjusted people. We want very small prisons and a functional society.
The Conservative Party. Wrong. Just plain wrong. Somebody pass me a Listeria sandwich.
Monday, September 22, 2008
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1 comment:
<*start snark*>What Mr Harper doesn't understand is that by jailing angry 14 year olds, he's depriving his base of its youth element<*end snark*>
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