Topic for July 14 ( Tue )

[Alex !]

남학생, 우산으로 직원을 마구 때리기 시작.
쓰러진 직원을 구석으로 끌고 가 계속 폭행합니다.
그 사이, 한 명은 계산대에서 돈 101만원과 담배를 훔칩니다.
또 다른 일당 한 명은 망을 보고….

같은 날 새벽. 부산의 한 유흥가 뒷골목.
18세 고교생 3명은 취객을 둘러싸고 폭행.
빼앗은 돈은 2만7000원.

[출처] 본 기사는 조선닷컴에서 작성된 기사 입니다.

Would more severe punishment deter juvenile crime ?

What follows is a purely fictional account of two opposing systems.

Scenario 1. (the present reality). A 13 year old girl (lets call her Sarah) is arrested for shoplifting in a record store on Saturday afternoon. She is taken to the police station and when an appropriate adult arrives, is questioned. She admits the offence of stealing a CD worth ￡15.99 and is cautioned by the duty inspector and released (probably driven home in a police car, as she is considered "vulnerable").

On Sunday morning, she normally meets her friend Jane in the park for a chat and a smoke. She tells Jane what happened to her and laughs about how many times she got away with it in the past. Jane is deeply unimpressed by the "punishment" and agrees that shoplifting is better than saving her pocket money as a means of getting the latest CD's. Next Saturday, they both go shoplifting and do not get caught.

Scenario 2. Sarah has committed exactly the same offence and has been arrested and taken to the police station. This time, however, things are a little different. Sarah is told that she can choose one of two options. She can either submit to 3 strokes of the cane or alternatively, spend the night in the cells and appear before the magistrates tomorrow who can sentence her to up to 6 strokes with or without a curfew order.

She chooses the first option and is taken into a room by 3 police women and bent over a table. Whilst two of the officers hold her down the third canes her. After a couple of hours in the cells, she is told she can go home. On Sunday morning, Jane is waiting in the park for her friend but she doesn't turn up so Jane goes to Sarah's house to see what's wrong. 

Sarah's mum opens the door and tells her that Sarah is still in bed and isn't feeling very well. Jane goes up to see her. Sarah is lying face down on the bed and is clearly distressed and tearful. She tells Jane what happened - how "two of the bitches stripped me and held me down while the other one did this to me" - showing Jane the weals on her bottom.

Will Sarah re-offend the following Saturday? Will Jane be deterred or will she go shoplifting with her friend?
Word of Sarah's punishment soon gets round the class and her circle of friends. It is a clear message to all that shoplifting is wrong and will be punished.
What would be the effect on juvenile crime if scenario two was adopted ?

The fact of getting punishment would create a lasting impression upon Sarah and her peers and make her and perhaps some of them realise that committing crime is wrong and will lead to unpleasant consequences. It also clearly demonstrates that society does have power over her and demands certain standards of behaviour. How many of today's teenagers seem to regard themselves as beyond the law?

It may also deter her from committing more serious crimes in the future - on the basis that if they cane you just for stealing a CD, what would they do to you if you did something really bad?
The idea of punishment without trial will also appal many people (although a trial must be offered as an alternative). But is it so wrong when the offender is caught red-handed and there is video evidence to show them committing the offence? 

In Scenario two, the experts have not had the chance to get at Sarah to convince her and allow her to convince herself that she is not really in the wrong. Nor have they had the chance to get at the court and convince them that her actions were caused through poverty/unhappy childhood/abuse/stress or any other of the excuses that are trotted out to justify why she should receive no punishment at all. 

Sarah is made to believe that what she did was wrong. She has been shown the video evidence and been punished and all within a couple of hours of the offence. This is most important. If she tells her friends that she was caught "nicking this CD and got the cane," the message will be much stronger than if she tells them that "I didn't do nothing really so they had to let me off." 

Which scenario is most likely to deter the young teens from further offending ?

which would you support?

[HelloimJoon]

Can you please add the link of this article?

[Alex !]

Yep. The link is as follows,
http://www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/thought2.html

[Joel Song]

That's very disturbing and makes me talk it out. But unfortunately today and tomorrow it appears that i'll be too busy to participate. See you around~

[Alex !]

Thank you for your follow up, Joel.