[Kerry]

.... would you want to meet the offender?

No, not in the street for a punch up. I mean as part of a monitored meeting. For a talk to understand why

What are your thoughts on this? The government are trying to push this sort of thing

[Smithy]

Well if I was murdered I don't think i'd be able too

[GypsyGoth]

I don't think I'd ever like to meet someone who done something awful to me.

Originally Posted by Smithy

Well if I was murdered I don't think i'd be able too

[Kerry]

Originally Posted by Smithy

Well if I was murdered I don't think i'd be able too

If you were mugged/burgled for example

[Jords]

I think the inquisitive nature of me would want to seem them yes. If it was serious I most likely wouldnt forgive them and get really angry about it but it would feel more like closure to have met them.

Originally Posted by Smithy

Well if I was murdered I don't think i'd be able too

[Bollo]

It depends on the crime but no, I don't think I would because I wouldn't understand their reasons or be able to forgive them no matter what their circumstances were and I think facing them would make me want to exact some kind of hideous revenge on them

[MTVN]

Yeah I would, whether I forgive them or not would depend how serious their crime was I guess, if what they'd done had left me crippled or something then I'd find it very hard to

[InOne]

Only to take Travis Bickle like revenge

[Omah]

Originally Posted by Kerry

.... would you want to meet the offender?

No, not in the street for a punch up. I mean as part of a monitored meeting. For a talk to understand why

What are your thoughts on this? The government are trying to push this sort of thing

No ..... for the most part, criminals are a sub-human species - they cannot, or will not, be rehabilitated or re-oriented ..... let the punishment fit the crime - "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" .....

[Jack_]

Maybe. It'd depend on the severity of the crime, but I doubt I would forgive them no matter what.

Originally Posted by Omah

No ..... for the most part, criminals are a sub-human species - they cannot, or will not, be rehabilitated or re-oriented ..... let the punishment fit the crime - "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" .....

You see, it's comments and beliefs like this that ironically make what you're saying happen. Instead of being accepted back into society, criminals are excluded and as a result form a minority social group in which they can meet other criminals which possess them to commit more crimes. It's a cycle they find hard to break out of, and it's because of comments like this. It really doesn't help matters...at all.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by Jack_

Maybe. It'd depend on the severity of the crime, but I doubt I would forgive them no matter what.



You see, it's comments and beliefs like this that ironically make what you're saying happen. Instead of being accepted back into society, criminals are excluded and as a result form a minority social group in which they can meet other criminals which possess them to commit more crimes. It's a cycle they find hard to break out of, and it's because of comments like this. It really doesn't help matters...at all.

It's a cycle that most offenders don't WANT to break out of - I am reminded of :

Norman Stanley Fletcher, you have pleaded guilty to the charges brought by this court and it is now my duty to pass sentence. You are an habitual criminal who accepts arrest as an occupational hazard and presumably accepts imprisonment in the same casual manner. I therefore feel constrained to sentence you to the maximum term allowed for these offences. You will go to Prison for five years.

[Jack_]

Originally Posted by Omah

It's a cycle that most offenders don't WANT to break out of - I am reminded of :

No, if a criminal has committed a crime for whatever reason, and when released they attempt and want to acquire a job and begin building their life back up, they find it extremely difficult due to the 'criminal' label they've been given. That's all people see them as and people like you refuse to give them a second chance, excluding them and as I said, making them join a minority social group. Once they realise that a 'criminal' is all they are seen as, they start to believe it and live up to it, and so commit more crimes, and the cycle continues. Not always, but often.

[Omah]

Originally Posted by Jack_

No, if a criminal has committed a crime for whatever reason, and when released they attempt and want to acquire a job and begin building their life back up, they find it extremely difficult due to the 'criminal' label they've been given. That's all people see them as and people like you refuse to give them a second chance, excluding them and as I said, making them join a minority social group. Once they realise that a 'criminal' is all they are seen as, they start to believe it and live up to it, and so commit more crimes, and the cycle continues. Not always, but often.

IMO, that is a naive perspective - in my experience, having been the victim of several crimes and being the friend of many other victims of (frequently violent) crimes, most criminals are mindless thugs with no sense of morality or obligation - so-called "second chances" are so much wasted time and money .....

[Visage]

I don't think I would, but I would want to know why they did it.

Can I get my mum to speak to them and tell me what or why they did it...?

[lostalex]

I would. When you feel like a victim, and you have been victimized, i think it's important to face the person in a controlled environment, and realize that they don't have any power any more. I think it would be good to see them imprisoned, and see them in that situation where you have all the power and all the freedom, and see that now they are controlled and they don't have any freedom, and see that they cannot victimize you anymore.

And you can tell them what you need to say in a controlled environment like that.

I can see the value in it.

[Niamh.]

I don't know, depends on what the crime was I suppose, but I'd say I'd be pretty reluctant to meet them.

[Fetch The Bolt Cutters]

aww they did this on bad girls once shaz murdered some guy and his wife came in and she was really old and it was just really sad

[lostalex]

This process isn't about forgiving the criminals, it's about giving control back to the victims.

[joeysteele]

Very much it would depENd on the crime against me, however,in most things I would likely forgive and like to meet whoever did it.

I am forgiving by nature,I don't however see ever any need for violence so on that one if it was a violent crime and badly so then I would find it hard to forgive that ,I may still want to meet the person though.

I guess I don't really know how I'd react unless it happened,I am not one for revenge, so,(for me anyway), for closure, it would be easier to find a way to forgive and move on.

[Ammi]

It would depend on what they had done and whether they had been punished for the crime..there are too many people who are never caught or punished for the crimes they commit...I would like to hear how sorry they are

[Tom]

Yes, to smash their face in. I don't take kindly to people doing things like that and I really disagree with the idea that it takes a bigger person to walk away. Got done for assault when I was about 16 or 17 because someone tried pick-pocketing me and taking my wallet so I punched him in the face but he fell and split his head open. Not the best thing to have to explain during a job interview and I'm not particularly a violent person but I wouldn't hesitate to do it if it happened again. If you walk away from situations like that then people will just walk allover you.

Originally Posted by Ammi

It would depend on what they had done and whether they had been punished for the crime..there are too many people who are never caught or punished for the crimes they commit...I would like to hear how sorry they are

Probably not very or they wouldn't have done it in the first place. Some might say it but don't mean it, take this letter that was in yesterdays news for example

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...-for-raid.html

It might be riddled with mistakes but he makes really good points yet highlights the possible mentality

[Livia]

I was the victim of a crime once. A violent crime. It wasn't recently, it was a while ago. So I say this having completely recovered from the incident: the only way I'd ever want to see those responsible would be if they were in a box.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by Tom

yes, to smash their face in



Probably not very or they wouldn't have done it in the first place. Some might say it but don't mean it, take this letter that was in yesterdays news for example

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...-for-raid.html

It might be riddled with mistakes but he makes really good points yet highlights the possible mentality

What I meant to say was if they had served a sentence and been punished, it would be something at least, there are too many people who are never made accountable for what they have done at all. Either way, I would never forgive them...ever..but at least they would have suffered something

Originally Posted by Livia

I was the victim of a crime once. A violent crime. It wasn't recently, it was a while ago. So I say this having completely recovered from the incident: the only way I'd ever want to see those responsible would be if they were in a box.

I also know how it feels to have a loved one be the victim of an unprovoked violent attack and I'm inclined to agree with you. I am sometimes surprised by the rage I feel towards the person responsible. if he were 'in a box', I would smile..that may sound shocking, but it's the truth

[Omah]

Originally Posted by Omah

In my experience, having been the victim of several crimes and being the friend of many other victims of (frequently violent) crimes, most criminals are mindless thugs with no sense of morality or obligation - so-called "second chances" are so much wasted time and money .....

Originally Posted by Livia

I was the victim of a crime once. A violent crime. It wasn't recently, it was a while ago. So I say this having completely recovered from the incident: the only way I'd ever want to see those responsible would be if they were in a box.

Originally Posted by Ammi

I also know how it feels to have a loved one be the victim of an unprovoked violent attack and I'm inclined to agree with you. I am sometimes surprised by the rage I feel towards the person responsible. if he were 'in a box', I would smile..that may sound shocking, but it's the truth

Yeah, it's all very well for others to take the high ground but those us who have directly experienced the "attentions" of thugs and morons tend to have a less "distant" view of the treatment they deserve - it certainly doesn't include having a "chat" with them .....

[Niall]

Though it depends on the severity of the crime I was subjected to, I would. I like to think I'm a forgiving person and I would like to get an incite as to why they did what they have done to me. It would be interesting and probably help them to feel better.