Hitchens is not totally wrong but he is largely wrong. There is nothing wrong with the idea of rehabilitation. There is everything wrong expecting rehabilitation to work in a massively underfunded, understaffed and over crowded prison system. The experiment as he calls it (they like words like 'experiment' because it makes their latest bête noire seem weird, made up by loonies, transient, easy to end, etc) has not failed, it has never been allowed to succeed.
Quite why there is all this banging on about Lefties is beyond me, we have had a Tory government much more than we have had a Labour one in my lifetime and it is a Tory government who have led us to the current parlous state.

The Hitch is one of the very few voices in the media (I can't think of another one, actually) who still takes a hard line on this issue. It's just uneducated people with terrible grammar and poor thinking skills who phone in to radio talk shows, who still take a strong line.

Those in the media invariably take a very soft approach, which includes not putting people in prison if at all possible.


But one man stands firm:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/ar...r-prisons.html

Well, we can lay the blame for the state of play with our killers sentenced to life imprisonment solely at the feet of the great and mighty EU. Equally guilty are our useless governments.

Since the Death Penalty was abolished for murders committed in Britain in 1965 and 1973 in Northern Ireland, the British public were promised that the Life Sentence that replaced the death penalty would mean Life meant Life and a prisoner found guilty of murder would die in prison.

Oh, how fickle their promises! After the ECHR upheld the appeal of the killers of little Jamie Bulger, that their life sentences (minimum 25 years) was deemed unfair and against their Human Rights, (sigh), the power of Life sentences was taken away from our Politicians and became the order of the day of the EU. Britain was expected to fall into line with their regulations regarding Life Sentencing. Of course, Britain did not need to follow their orders, but you know our Politicians! Ever eager to lie on their tummies to be tickled, they glibly followed every hallowed order.

Out went the usual Life means Life, out went the minimum to serve 25 years, out went 1st degree murder and 2nd degree murder charges, Apart from child killers, sex killers and killers of Policemen, who still received the order for a full life sentence, all other killers sentenced to Life had the Life sentence cut from a minimum 25 years to 15 years before they could apply for parole, and Life sentences have been in decline ever since .
Only last week I was reading of a mass rapist in Britain who attacked 30 victims over the years and sentenced to several life sentence. Now, to the horror of his victims,he has been released on parole after serving just 7 years!!!

It is also stated that 60% of prisoners who were sentenced to life and released on parole, killed again.

By saying the law is an ass is an understatement! The people of Britain and Northern Ireland have been betrayed by these politically correct, Human Rights obsessed thicko’s, who have blood on their hands.

We should be very angry indeed.

Hitchens is not totally wrong but he is largely wrong. There is nothing wrong with the idea of rehabilitation. There is everything wrong expecting rehabilitation to work in a massively underfunded, understaffed and over crowded prison system. The experiment as he calls it (they like words like 'experiment' because it makes their latest bête noire seem weird, made up by loonies, transient, easy to end, etc) has not failed, it has never been allowed to succeed.
Quite why there is all this banging on about Lefties is beyond me, we have had a Tory government much more than we have had a Labour one in my lifetime and it is a Tory government who have led us to the current parlous state.

You cant rehabilitate a heinous murderer .
When you have taken life you have crossed a line that cannot be reversed.

Except in a very few cases, rehabilitation is possible. Where it is not, the criminal is probably suffering from mental illness, a personality disorder or something similar and they should remain in secure accommodation, for life, but not punished as such.

Except in a very few cases, rehabilitation is possible. Where it is not, the criminal is probably suffering from mental illness, a personality disorder or something similar and they should remain in secure accommodation, for life, but not punished as such.

Except in a very few cases, rehabilitation is possible. Where it is not, the criminal is probably suffering from mental illness, a personality disorder or something similar and they should remain in secure accommodation, for life, but not punished as such.

hello earth to devo
the prison system is not exactly well known for rehabilitation more likely drugs and violence .
We all know their suffering from something that's why they can't be rehabilitated and for heinous crimes such as murder must be humanely put down they are of no value to society.
Who wants a 'rehabilitated ' serial murderer or child killer roaming unknown in the country ?
Rehabilitation money better spent on innocent members of the said society.