Thread: Law & Order is STUFFED.

It's not just in Melbourne, and certainly not just among the migrant population where crime is getting worse. Over here, the rate of break-ins has been skyrocketing, both on homes and business premises. Generally the cops know who the perpetrators are and can arrest them pretty quickly - but the **** weak judges and magistrates just give them the usual slap on the wrist and send them on their merry way to do it all again. This ineffective application of the law has recently resulted in the death of one teenage boy in Kalgoorlie. He was a known thief, suspended from school at the time and due to front up in court again on another charge. His mother was already in jail on theft related charges, and his father was probably lying drunk in a gutter somewhere - the kid had no chance really. He was spotted riding a stolen motorcycle - by the owner of the motorcycle, who promptly gave chase. The details of what happened next have not yet been made public, but the boy is deceased and the owner of the motorcycle is locked up facing a manslaughter charge.

I have also read in the past couple of days of a well known restaurant / takeaway food outlet in Halls Creek which has closed its doors indefinitely due to the effects of uncontrolled criminal youth in the town. The business has been broken into nine times in the past six weeks. The cops know who the offenders are (there is clear video footage of them on many occasions) - but there is little that they can do. They arrest them, and the offenders front court. The FIFO magistrates who service the area fly in on the regular court days, **** the townspeople over by releasing the criminals back into the community to do it all again, and then fly back out to their comfortable place of residence where they are not at all likely to be affected by the actions of the little arseholes they have just released back out into the community.

I don't know what the answers are - but I do know one thing. The judiciary in this country has a lot to answer for. They should be held accountable for their decisions and actions (or lack thereof). If an employer knowingly allows an unsafe situation to exist in a workplace and a worker is killed or injured, that employer is rightly charged and faces penalties under the law. Why is it that a judge or magistrate can put a known repeat offender who they must KNOW is highly likely to re-offend back into the community, and then not be held accountable in any way whatsoever when that person re-offends - particularly when they cause injury or death to an innocent person.

I'm not sure how the American system works. Does the jury decide / have any say in the sentences passed on convicted criminals over there ? Perhaps this might be something worth looking at - although it would only apply in the more serious of cases which are actually heard before a jury. I strongly believe that the function of "sentencing" convicted criminals should be removed from judges and magistrates - but I am not sure who this function should be passed on to - certainly someone who is accountable to the community.

I read a news article this morning where a man in the US was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for leaving his son to die in a hot car. This is what I call proper and appropriate sentencing, and is something that we would NEVER see in this country - at least not while the current pathetic judiciary has control over sentencing.

Georgia man sentenced to life in prison without parole for leaving son to die in hot car - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

And yes Pickles - we lock the doors here now too. Have recently installed a lockable security screen door on the back of the house so that we can still get a bit of a breeze through the back door while keeping it locked. Not sure how the sale of baseball bats has been going. Haven't got one of those myself - but there's a couple of those large, old multi "D" cell mag light torches strategically placed around the house - just in case of power outages of course.

Come in late on this, but my question is.................when a criminal is put before the court, their prior criminal record is not revealed in court, why is this??? If a person has a long list of priors this should be taken into account when sentencing.

ps. I too have noticed in the news up here of the teenage criminal problem in Melbourne, a lot of the young people arrested seem to be of African appearance. Their arrest rate seems to be way out of proportion to the amount of Africans in this country. Question is.........are we importing into this country people who have come from war ravaged countries who are emotionally damaged and the only thing they know to survive is by crime?????

Previous convictions aren't introduced during a trial, as it could otherwise influence a jury's decision making, in that particular case.

Upon a guilty verdict, The previous convictions are made available to the sentencing magistrate/judge for consideration.

BMKal,...Good post.
Like I said, Law & Order IS Stuffed,....by the judiciary,...over, and over,......and over.
Bail, Bail, Bail, & then more times, for multiple repeat offenders, sometimes ya hear of someone just out of court on bail the previous day, when they're right into it again,...and again,....and more & more innocent, & particularly elderly defenceless people are being hurt, while these "scum", are continually, "given another chance", by the judiciary.
And I ain't making it up, this sort of stuff is in all forms of the media, every day.
Pickles.

Originally Posted by Gordie

Previous convictions aren't introduced during a trial, as it could otherwise influence a jury's decision making, in that particular case.

Upon a guilty verdict, The previous convictions are made available to the sentencing magistrate/judge for consideration.

Of cause it should influence a juries descision, they would then know what they are dealing with. There is a lot of difference between a teenager who accidently steps over the line and a feral with a long list of priors.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Perhaps Deng's driving style attracts police attention.

Maybe he drives a Commodore.

Originally Posted by Ausfree

Of cause it should influence a juries descision, they would then know what they are dealing with. There is a lot of difference between a teenager who accidently steps over the line and a feral with a long list of priors.

The jury is only there to determine guilt or innocence given the facts of the case against the defendant, not to pass judgement. The defendants history is not a relevant fact and could prejudice the jury.
The Judge knows the defendants history The Judge can direct the jury and the Judge makes the final judgement.

The violence problem has been brewing in Melbourne for some time.
This thread has reminded me of the bashing of Mr Manrajwinder Singh. Remember the Indian student who was bashed near Spencer St Station back in 2013. The bashing sent shockwaves around the world. The Indian press reported Australia was a racist country beyond redemption.
Indian student bashed on first night out in Melbourne - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law...-1226795039267


It was all caught on surveillance cameras, of course.
I wonder, did they ever catch those seven men of African appearance?
Of course, there are some here who would say they are the victims.