Is it time for more Whole life sentences ?

Toko Black

If you are charged with murder, the onus is on the prosecution and the police to gather enough evidence and build a case strong enough to warrant a fair chance of conviction.
Often, the prosecution may offer a plea deal which removes the need for a lengthy and costly court case and/or reduces the risk of them loosing the case in court.

Over 90% of cases in the US end up being settled with a plea deal rather than going through a long and drawn out court case.

The rights and wrongs of such a system is another debate, but that is how it operates.

Additional info:

In the UK - approx 65 to 70% of Crown Court cases are for guilty pleas.
Guilty pleases take less than 2hrs of the courts time while Not Guilty pleas average about 15hrs of the courts time.

Example data

Marv

We'd be better off building our own Gulags.

Bl4ckGryph0n

Plenty of space up in Scotland Alternatively a few ships in our waters.

kilvil

why spoil a nice place we could send the to angelsey instead.

Sonic67

And?
And the light sentences we have now is?
It's justice not vengeance. I get you don't like it but that's all.

Bl4ckGryph0n

Too close to me Besides I have welsh heritage.

domtheone

Didn't turn out too bad

Enki

Well if you walk around West London you could forgive yourself being in down town Russia, so not too much of a cultural leap. There is always Herne Bay, benefits by the seaside or something similar, whatever the name it looked awful..

Toko Black

In the current climate of attempting to reduce the deficit, cuts to public spending etc, a costly plan to build new prisons will either have to see either an increase in spending or ever more cuts to already desperate services - it is not a case of not being able or wanting to do it, it is more a case of how and the serious debates of where the money comes from.


That does not follow. The lack of effectiveness as a deterrent or the problems and issues with the death penalty do not change or become more or less justified regardless of if current sentences are also ineffective or have problems.

A bad idea remains a bad idea.

If your water supply is is full of bacteria and currently all you do is run it through a cheese cloth then that is not a good solution.
Cutting the water with bleach is a very bad idea.
Drinking water cut with bleach is no less stupid just because currently you drink it filtered through a cheese cloth.
The answer is find a solution that actually makes the water safer to drink, like boiling it or applying far better filtration.

If there are sentences that actually deter crime levels, then you establish what they are and apply them.
However, if sentencing or sentencing alone does not actually deter crime, then you must look at the real and practical purposes of sentencing, detainment, rehabilitation and other legal/social issues to address a reduction in crime, greater public safety and a just system that works better.

Unfortunately, for much of history the justice systems of most societies around the world have or are heavily influenced by vengeance and retribution which have been directly linked to the concept or perception of justice.

More and more evidence and studies are suggesting this to not only be unhealthy for the welbeing of society, but also less effective and often counter productive.

krish

It's retributive justice, a term used and accepted by those on both sides of the argument.

Retribution = "punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong or criminal act."