[Zippy]

Originally Posted by patsylimerick

I agree with almost all of the post, apart from the bit in bold. I think there are individuals who are irredeemable and it's a gross error to assume that EVERYONE is 'fixable'. They're not. What happens if we keep trying to fix them and, every time we think the job's done, they go out and kill someone else? A civilised society SHOULDN'T take risks with the safety of the general public because of liberal intentions - however good those intentions may be. We cannot know for certain either way in relation to this boy and it's a matter for psychiatric experts to decide. Particularly in relation to children, we're probably a long way from satisfactory methods of assessment; the Jamie Bolger case seems to indicate this.

A civilised society has to take risks. Otherwise nobody would ever be released from prison or psychiatric hospitals!

Repeat offenders are constantly released time and time again; muggers, burglars, violent abusers,...even rapists. These are far more of a menace to society than somebody who has killed one specific person. Murder is usually a one off act that is never repeated. Which is why serial killers are so rare. Even if this boy were to be released now I think there's a good chance he would never kill again. And, no, Im not saying he should be released now! Point is, as extreme a crime his was its not something he would likely repeat over and over. Most murders are very specific; a personal conflict between individuals. Theyre not random.

I never said this boy will definitely be "fixed". But he is a young child and far far from being fully cooked. I never even had any rehabilitation myself but changed my attitude just through the process of simply growing up. With a child that age there are strong possibilies for growth and change. A civilised society would leave a door open for that to happen. Condemning him to life without parole is shutting every door and leaving him with no hope and nothing to improve himself for. And who benefits from that? Nobody. It's good if revenge is all you want but does sod all to address any other issues.