[jambutty]

It is more likely that the thieving torag who turned over your house slinky would get a slap on the wrist these days unless it was a repeat offence so the ICS would not come into it.

This ICS isn’t for all sentences that merit less than a 12 months sentence but as an alternative for those minor offences that do warrant a custodial sentence of less than one year. It is a harsher alternative to tagging.

I’m all for banging up criminals and throwing away the key or at the very least making one third of the sentence as hard labour and no privileges at all, the next third meaningful work with some privileges and the last third as rehabilitation. But I’m also a realist in that my dream will never become a reality.

My punishment for what ???????????????????

I don’t know mthead! Surely you have broken the law at some time in your adult life. What about nipping down the motorway at 80 plus? Or parking on double yellow lines while you nip out to an ATM. Or maybe removing stationary from the office or nuts and bolts and things from the factory. That’s theft you know. Of course you know but it is only petty theft and in any case your office or factory won’t miss what you take.

It depends what you call a serious crime accymel. How about 7 burglaries in 12 years? Two muggings and one GBH assault rendering me eligible for hospital treatment to put my nose back in the middle of my face. Are those serious enough? Not to mention vandalism to my home and motor vehicle not once but many times. You shouldn’t presume!

OK! So very few people like the idea of ICS and that’s fine, it’s your opinion. Many people, including me, consider that the criminal justice system is an ass and favours the criminal above the victim. But how many of you have tried to do anything about it. Have you made your views known to your MP repeatedly? Or is it a case of whingeing to your family and friends and then going to the pub for a drink and forgetting all about it?

How many of the thread contributors didn’t vote at the last general election?