Obviously he didn't learn anything the last time....maybe life this time????...

You know..... in the muslim world, they would chop off his hand for stealing. This ought to be a major deterrent for anyone to consider this life of crime.

I wonder how many people who have moderate learning disabilities, mental health disorders, cognitive challenges, or all of the above are hand-less in the muslim world. Probably even tougher to get work without one of your hands........

Must be one of PG's prolific offenders which would warrant surveillance.

Where is the justice? If he is not Handicapped, book him and lock him up... simple!

Maybe he just has a bad attitude. Maybe he is angry at society. Maybe he is just lazy and doesn't want to work. Maybe he doesn't have good role models in his life. Maybe the deterrants we provide are not deterrants at all. Maybe he prefers jail and was just going out of his way to get back in. Who knows?

Why do we spend so much time trying to figure out just what the felons excuse might be. While i dont see hand removal (disability cheques, anyone?) I also dont see trying so hard to understand these poor fellows who just made a few (or 55 or 60 ) mistakes and now want to get their lives back on track (using cash from my stuff). Put them in jail, increase the sentence with each new offence. If you want to understand them or treat them, jail seems like a good place to get a hold of them to do so.

Lock him up for ten years. Even if he doesn't learn his lesson that's ten years he won't be on the street stealing from people that actually work for their property.

All you can do is provide the stimulus for change. The only one that can make a change in his life is him.

Keep doling out the punishments and when he is good and sick of his life he may decide it's time to make a change. Such instincts usually do not surface until after mid 30's.

perhaps someday soon we are able to live differently. I believe in Gene Roddenberry's vision of the world. It can happen and it will. Working for the common good as reward. Eliminated crime and poverty. Staving being a thing of the past. We have the knowledge to do so. Getting the addict on a exercise and diet routine to end addiction. Giving them hope and skills to re establish them back into the community. Thats what I think.

Uh, he spoke, a simple dichotomy does not work on this issue.

We have to stop treating people or thinking of people as naturally good or bad (NDP vs Conservative world-views). How about we start treating them as we would like to be treated (within reason of course).

The US puts 737 persons per 100,000 (as of 2005) in jail. We manage to pack in 105 per 100,000. Yet the US is still is not as 'safe' a place as Canada.

http://rechten.uvt.nl/icvs/images/Graph03.JPG

Denmark however, is closing prisons

http://www.nrc.nl/international/article2246821.ece/Netherlands_to_close_prisons_for_lack_of_criminals

Think of our country as a parent would - what you put in is what you get out. Yes, you will get the odd weed like Picton. For those in favour of capital punishment, imagine you or your son were Donald Marshall Jr., David Milgaard or Guy Paul Morin.

If stricter punishment worked, the US or Russia would be safer places to live.

They just factually aren't. Crime rates are falling and I wish more of our politicians would try to educate their constituents instead of treating them like children with tales of boogie-men.

I wonder if this is the A**hole that broke into my house?? Should make a few calls and find out I guess...

"You know..... in the muslim world, they would chop off his hand for stealing. This ought to be a major deterrent for anyone to consider this life of crime."

Yet, to this day they still find themselves cutting off hands and executing people even though everyone clearly knows the penalties involved.

In the old west, stealing cattle was a hanging offence. Yet, people still stole cattle, and people still hanged for it.

In our present system, all we can do is punish and punish and punish, etc. It's not working either.

If a dog exhibits unwanted behavior, it is trained out of it. This is loosely called reprogramming.

That is the approach we need to take with offenders. Many of them were never taught any life skills or shown how to live their lives without conflict with others.

That is why I support streaming of offenders.

- Non-violent offenders who suffer mainly from life skills deficiencies go in one direction, to be reprogrammed.

- Mentally ill offenders go in another direction to be treated properly for their illnesses.

- Violent offenders go in another direction for more intensive treatment to address their violent tendencies.

- Extremely violent/dangerous offenders go to a place where we can keep them away from the rest of society for a very long time.

- Pedophiles, and other sexual offenders go to another place where we can keep them away from society for a very long time. Every expert will tell you there is no cure for sex offenders, there is only various treatment programs that may or may not work. Castration is not a cure either.