Lol at life sentences

[do_ron_ron]

Human Rights innit? They have a right to a family life and privacy which locking them up and throwing away the key would violate. Of course they don't care about the victim's right to a family life that they'll never enjoy now they've been murdered. Oh btw we shouldn't worry about this - we're much more likely to die choking on our food.

Do not believe for a second that the politicians really bother about Human Rights. It is the cost of keeping people in prison that concerns them and they give out the Human Rights spin as the reason. The cost of keeping someone in prison for 50,60 or even 70+ years in prison is very expensive plus you are adding to the total all the time all the time. I agree it is annoying that the victims/victims families right to a life/happiness is seen as an afterthought if considered at all.

 

[Brizzles]

As I noted, if you read the history of 20th century murder during the time the death penalty was active, very few murders were the result of cold blooded criminal pre-meditation. Most were crimes of passion or totally pointless,

Interesting, i would have said the opposite. Do you have a link to your reference ?

To call 'crimes of passion' seperate from 'cold-blooded pre-meditation' is very tenuous. A crime of passion 9 times out of 10 involves the offender knowing the victim,their movements, and a pre-planned attack.

Being 'pushed over the edge' or 'self defence', in the case of abuse, would be considered manslaughter.

 

[Mr Jack]

I agree it is annoying that the victims/victims families right to a life/happiness is seen as an afterthought if considered at all.

Rubbish. The punishment is entirely down to these rights. If it wasn't considered at all there would be no punishment.

 

[CaptainComedy]

This kind of post comes up once or twice in a generation who don't understand the definition of a "life" sentence

Google dude.

 

[Vern1961]

Interesting, i would have said the opposite. Do you have a link to your reference ?

To call 'crimes of passion' seperate from 'cold-blooded pre-meditation' is very tenuous. A crime of passion 9 times out of 10 involves the offender knowing the victim,their movements, and a pre-planned attack.

Being 'pushed over the edge' or 'self defence', in the case of abuse, would be considered manslaughter.

Not online, but read the memoirs of Syd Dernley and Albert Pierrepoint to get an idea of the "clients" they encountered (apart from WWII obviously with spies and the aftermath of the Nazi trials to deal with). Perhaps back then people were very aware that committing murder would lead to the rope, obviously a very different culture to what we have now where as noted some would think they could get away with it and others (terrorists) would be happy to become martyrs.

 

[linktoinsanity]

I have always wondered:

If you attempt to kill yourself, but fail, are you guilty of attempted murder in the eyes of the law?

Hopefully the circumstances would mean you would not go to actual prison, but be helped by the state with hospital (or by some other means), just wondering is all.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

I have always wondered:

If you attempt to kill yourself, but fail, are you guilty of attempted murder in the eyes of the law?

Hopefully the circumstances would mean you would not go to actual prison, but be helped by the state with hospital (or by some other means), just wondering is all.

Depending on the nature of the attempted suicide and a psychological review, you could be detained under Section 17 of the mental health act.

This normally means you are kept in an acute mental health facility with little or no chance of leave unless the responsible clinician deems it. It's heart breaking to see and not something I'd wish on anyone. It would be classed as self-harm, not murder though

http://www.mentalhealthcare.org.uk/mental_health_act

 

[Hotwired]

I have always wondered:

If you attempt to kill yourself, but fail, are you guilty of attempted murder in the eyes of the law?

Hopefully the circumstances would mean you would not go to actual prison, but be helped by the state with hospital (or by some other means), just wondering is all.

Wasn't aware but apparently suicide is no longer a crime, assisting is however : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_legislation#United_Kingdom

So whatever you do to yourself is mostly your business unless someone else can say you're not of sound mind.

 

[linktoinsanity]

Depending on the nature of the attempted suicide and a psychological review, you could be detained under Section 17 of the mental health act.

This normally means you are kept in an acute mental health facility with little or no chance of leave unless the responsible clinician deems it. It's heart breaking to see and not something I'd wish on anyone. It would be classed as self-harm, not murder though

http://www.mentalhealthcare.org.uk/mental_health_act

Wasn't aware but apparently suicide is no longer a crime, assisting is however : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_legislation#United_Kingdom

So whatever you do to yourself is mostly your business unless someone else can say you're not of sound mind.

Ah ok, thanks for clearing that up guys.

 

[do_ron_ron]

It's more expensive to kill someone (in a rigorous system with appropriate appeals etc) than it is to keep them in prison for life.

£40,000 per year to keep prisoner in jail

http://www.fpe.org.uk/the-cost-of-prisons/

It costs £65,000 to imprison a person in this country once police, court costs and all the other steps are taken into account. After that it costs a further £40,000 for each year they spend incarcerated.

So for a 25 year old, for example, it will cost ~50x£40,000 plus 50 years inflation. As it costs £65000 the first time round I cannot see it costing more than £2M on appeals. That was not my thrust anyway, I was saying that the life term was reduced for monetary reasons rather than any altruistic reasons.