Justice should be the same for anyone: rich or poor; male or female; gay
or straight; religious or atheist, British or non-British. I reject the ideas of
those who claim that some people should be treated more leniently than others.
The notion that women should receive a lighter sentence than men for the same
crimes is a nonsense, as is any thought that cultural values could excuse sexual
offences. Likewise, I reject the ideas of those at the other end of the spectrum
who would use our justice system as a form of revenge or who would treat
immigrants more harshly.
I believe that sentencing policy is generally too light for a range of
offences, mainly those involving violence, dishonesty or contempt of a court
order. The impact of violent and dishonest offences upon the victim is profound:
burglary, serious assaults and theft from an employer for example should be
treated more seriously than they are at present. If you, through repeatedly
breaking the law, find yourself disqualified from driving and continue to drive
anyway, then the level of danger and contempt is such that only a prison
sentence can be justified.
I recently read this
article which provides a case study of everything
that is wrong with the current system. I'm going to redact nationality and
religion because these things shouldn't matter when it comes to
sentencing.
A father, supported by his family, had a surprise in store for his
daughter's 14th birthday. He sent her younger siblings off to school, then
gathered the family together. He dressed her in a wedding dress and, it appears
without warning, introduced her to a man in his 30s. A wedding ceremony was
conducted and she was coerced into saying words in a language she did not even
speak. Later that day, the man she had just 'married' raped her. It appears that
the father did not know that the man was going to rape his daughter, and the
agreement was that they would not have sex until she was of legal age to do so.
The daughter fled the family home after being raped.
The man who she had 'married' left the country soon after, and only the
father was in court to answer charges over the forced marriage. The primary
responsibility of course lies with the rapist, but the father's actions
seriously endangered his daughter. Parents have a responsibility to keep their
children out of harm's way, not to put them directly into
it.
Ask yourself what you think a fair sentence in such circumstances should
be. Does it meet the aims of punishment - does it adequately punish the crime,
deter others from committing similar offences, and protect the public?
Rehabilitation must come after the rest, if only because the others relate to
society and rehabilitation to the offender only. It's important, and we need a
prison system which is able to meet that need.
The sentence in this case though was 14 weeks in prison. Under current
rules, he will serve just 7 - almost exactly the length of his daughter's school
summer holiday. Is this justice? I think
not.
