Beyond the cause of consistency, imprisoning Pistorius can serve no purpose. The judge said she did not want to “send the wrong message”, a phrase repeated by a thousand judges, but what did she mean? The purpose of depriving wrongdoers of their liberty, now that we no longer hang or flog, should be to rehabilitate them and, if not, keep them from further crime. That it should be “retributive”, a mere expression of society’s rage, is primitive theology. It is trotted out when no other reason for imprisonment can be imagined.
Unbefuckinglievable. The man committed murder. Sure, manslaughter was the only reasonable conviction given the available evidence. However, the man discharged a weapon into a closed door – apparently – having no idea who was behind it (what kind of raving lunatic does that?). Reeva Steenkamp paid for his irrational behaviour with her life. Talk all you like about rehabilitation, but there is a price to be paid and Pistorius is paying for this killing with loose change. If prisons are brutal, then look at what is wrong with the prison system by all means, but the taking of a life deserves the harshest of punishments and, yes, that is part of the criminal justice system; punishment. Rehabilitate the offender by all means, but punishment is a part of the process and prison is what that is about. Prison is where Pistorius belongs and for a damned sight more than the piddly five years he has been awarded.
As for the bleeding heart nonsense about his life being ruined, Steenkamp’s life was ruined. Spare a thought for her before weeping tears over Pistorius.
Personally I would have locked him up and thrown away the key – or better still strung him up. He clearly intended to kill whoever was behind that door and, frankly, I don’t buy his bullshit.
I’m weeping no tears for the little shit. Fuck him and his little dog Toby as my Dad used to say. Justice, my arse!
It’s just taking the Piss-torius 😡
“…part of the criminal justice system…”
There is no longer a ‘justce system’ – here or hardly anywhere else. There is merely a ‘legal system’ which aims to occasionally appease the mob, generally enrich solicitors and back up the ruling establishment.
Much the same as it was a millennium ago…
Am I reading that right? Does he think people should not be sent to prison if there is no reasonable possibility they will repeat their crime? Like the man who murders his wife but has no reason to kill again now the old bat is gone?
Justice should be about rehabilitation AND retribution in the correct quantities.
Even if no other factor applies, surely deterrence in itself is sufficient grounds for a long prison sentence.
I agree with you 100% LR , clearly it makes no odds where you live justice is dead. 😡