Q. With
falling crime rates and the creeping de-criminalisation of drugs, will our
prisons be almost empty soon?
A. There has
never been a shortage of people to persecute and incarcerate. I am sure we will
think of something. For instance, many in the legal profession have always felt
that children, especially teenagers, would gain from a custodial sentence. I am
not suggesting long sentences (except in certain cases). Sentences would mostly
take place in the school holidays so as not to interfere with school work.
There would be no criminal record as the Child Custody (“CC”) System would not
deal with crimes but everyday family irritations such as talking back and
eating with elbows on the table. Not every infraction would result in
imprisonment. For instance, what teenage son would refuse to put out the
garbage if he had a suspended sentence hanging over his head? Only the consent
of the parents would be required, and I expect that, in most cases, this would
be enthusiastically given, especially for Holiday CC.
Once the
principle had been established it could be extended to other troublesome family
members such as mothers-in-law. Forcibly sending your mother-in-law to
prison may be a breach of her human rights. However, human rights’ lawyers have
never defended mothers-in-law in the past, and I suspect that they will not
start now.
Once the
criminals were cleared out of the prison system, wives could be attracted by a Hi-Security diet that really worked. Fathers may seek some solitude especially
leading up to Christmas, birthdays or weddings. No more household chores,
fielding requests for money, or going shopping for even short periods may be a
welcome respite.
Include a
“Throw Away the Key” option for spouses and we will need more prisons not less.
Extract from - I'll have the law on you -unmitigated advice on law and lawyers by John Fytit AO to be published later this year.
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