The attitude to sex offenders is also based on releasing an offender in a controlled manner and with continuing behavior modification techniques which actually work.

To be noted is that Norway takes many offences such as drink driving seriously as is shown by this incidence as reported by -

http://sentencing.typepad.com/sentencing_law_and_policy/2009/05/my-kind-of-drunk-driving-sentence-in-norway.html

“A Norwegian businessman was ordered on Tuesday to pay a fine of 700,000 kroner for driving 400m while drunk, a court said. Due to the man’s wealth, the court in the southern Norwegian county of Aust-Agder handed down a heavier-than-usual sentence, which would normally be equivalent to a month-and-a-half’s gross salary for the accused.

“The principle of proportionality implies that we should take into account the entire wealth of the person in cases where the defendant is more well off than most other people,” a copy of the verdict obtained by AFP read.
The 49-year-old man is the heir of a rich shipping family…. The man was also ordered to take part in an alcohol rehabilitation programme — failing which he will have to serve 18 days in jail — and he had his driver’s licence suspended for two years and three months.

The man was arrested in October 2008 after he was found to have more than nine times the permitted blood-alcohol level an hour after he was stopped by police. The man told the court that he had only driven 300 to 400m, and that, aware of his condition, he was going to meet friends to ask them to take him home.”

The United States should be seen as an example of how not to approach Law Enforcement, Punishment and most importantly the levels of society and how some levels are protected from their “just deserts” and other levels receive no justice at all.

Would it not be wonderful if Australia followed the good examples of the enlightened countries rather than fall in behind a nation some call, with some perceived accuracy, “The Great Satan”

Strangely most of those US citizens who support the death penalty see euthanasia to stop suffering as murder.

I find nothing hilarious with the hypocrisy of so many “right to lifers” who also clamor for death as a form of penalty.

The real question that needs to be thoroughly tested is; does bringing forward a persons death deliver true justice, is the act of terminating a persons life relevant as a penalty in civilised communities?

I suggest not.

I find it hilarious that the same people who find capital punishment “abhorrent” fully support partial birth abortions up to 23 weeks and enthusiastically support euthanasia.

The hypocrisy is stunning.

If abortion was illegal America’s population would be closer to 400 million.

That’s a lot of state-sponsored dead kids.

But rabid dogs are shot. There are some crimes where the guilt is beyond doubt and the crime so horrific that the persons responsible can have no place in human society. I’m talking about cases like Anita Cobby.

It’s not that the persons deserve to die, but they could never be rehabilitated and would remain a constant threat, either to other prisoners or warders or the community at large.

But if it were up to me, I would ban capital punishment. It is an outdated form of punishment belonging to a less civilised society (‘legalised murder’ is a good name for it). Society needs to move forward.

Finally, I could not connect the dots in Liz45’s arguement about Norway having those super friendly jails and crime being down. I believe there would have to be other contributing factors for the low crime rates - any ideas anyone?

In the US, the overwhelming number of people in jail are black and poor! I recall the hypocrisy of George W and the poor woman who was brain dead, but he fought to prevent her life support being switched off - this from a person who signed 137 death warrants, and is responsible for 1.3 million dead Iraqis, and who knows how many Afghanis. The hypocrisy really gets to me. The woman’s family won the court appeal, and the poor woman did die soon after. To some, there are people and then there’s the others - the ‘unpeople’?

I believe the death penalty is state sponsored murder, as I believe the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are state sponsored terrorism on a grand scale! The so-called ‘leaders’ should have to lead the way in any wars they engage in, start or promote - that might change things considerably? Their families should be made to follow them. It’s too easy for some people to send other peoples’ kids to kill and be killed! It’s immoral and unjust!

I find it totally incongruous that this form of state sponsored euthanasia can be held up as the “ultimate penalty” in justice systems around the world where those same societies prohibit sane and considered decisions of the terminally ill to choose the timing of their own death.

Death has no relationship to penalty or justice. Death brought on in this way is simply wrong and barbaric.

In addition the number of people who are wrongfully convicted is appalling. Thankfully we no longer have capital punishment. In our State we have had John Button and Andrew Mallard convicted and having to spend respectively 12 years and 5 years in jail for murders they did not commit. Button is currently helping to fight for Greer’s case (another convicted murderer) to be reassessed and with good grounds.
Bad enough they have lost years of their lives, been hated on and meanwhile of course the real killers have been allowed to roam the land unrestrained - at least they have not been put to death as they would have been had we still had the death penalty.

From some ’ gay liberal pointy headed imbecile’ comes the nonsense ’ better 99 guilty go free than one innocent die ’ ..WHAT UTTER RUBBISH .. the innocent die every day — ask an Afghan — ..usually by US bombs .. So ok well lets open the jail doors and let all the crims go because we all know that there might ONE innocent in jail ,and there are .. ….You see how ridiculous the gay liberals are ? With them its all about ME and MY RIGHTS and ‘what if it was you? ’ blah blah and the universe revolves around ME ME and ME etc etc. You see how corrupt selfish and perverse gay liberals are ? They are so corrupted with their own miserable wretched existence..they bring NOTHING for the rest of us . They just don’t get it — -only the collective survives . . Its not ALL ABOUT ME ..it never was . These perserve individualist ideals can often be traced to the USA with its protestant individual salvation and the myth of the rugged individual translated into individual consumer capitalism which conveniently maximises profits. The collective rights are not mentioned. Well that’s them NOT US . Frankly the US is a country ’ off the rails’ and we are fools to follow that wayward sick country which can’t even organise an execution .

A simple way to deal with criminals is to strip them of citizenship which ,afterall, most of us took for granted and got for nothing unlike my father who fought for it in New Guinea .. But that was in the days when it was God King and Country …. not ME ME and oh ME but not you . Western society today is a decaying worm eaten corpse riddled by CORRUPT individualist gay liberals who have their voices heard in a press controlled by THEM for THEM.

Citizenship should work like this — - No citizenship due to a serious crime ? then leave the country within 30 days or be indefinitely detained ! Alternatively you can work to get you citizenship back by works and deeds and commit no crime for 10 years . Afterall thats how Australia GOT STARTED FOLKS ..think about it..read your history .. Citizenship should be kept bright and shiny for all to see.

We have become too obsessed with the rights of the individual and even the rights of criminals- witness Dennis Fergusen for example with ‘his rights’ being quoted at us by gay liberal noisebags - HE HAS NO RIGHTS .. HE FORFEITED HIS RIGHTS as a citizen DECADES AGO — that wolf belongs on a rope. Corrupting gay liberal speak- easys do not understand the rights of the collective and the concept of citizenship and thats why western society is slowly and surely failing as we can all see every day . But don’t worry all you gay liberals , Islam is very patient and will fill the void you have created with your corrupt ‘fashionable views’ . I can assure you Islam can deal with criminals.

Oh and bring back the death penalty and get rid of the wolves before they eat us .

I also abhor state sponsored terrorism, that is, the illegal invasion of countries and murdering innocent people, who were no threat to the US or Australia - over 1.3 million in Iraq, and maybe the same in Afghanistan. Nobody cares enough to even keep count of the dead! We ‘regret’ the deaths of Australian service people; we express moral outrage at over 80 Australians killed in Bali, but we remain silent over the x number of ‘Balis’ every day in Afghanistan & Iraq. We’ve destroyed those countries, and enabled horrific injuries and diseases to take over. There are too many innocent men and boys still in Iraqi jails, just because they oppose being occupied and seeing their family members killed and maimed! I despair!

@ Rena
“We do not mind capital punishment for i.e Bali bombers…”
Really? You’ve heard people take this position? For me, they need to sit in jail for the rest of their lives after facing trial.

What I found really chilling, was the Judges often comment, that to reopen the case or admit that the convicted person is innocent, would result in the people losing faith in the justice system. Killing innocent people is better than the justice system being embarrassed? As the Professor said, they don’t wonder what impression the people have when they know that innocent people have been executed. I recall reading, that while George W Bush was Governor of Texas, he signed 137 death warrants. At the time of the article, there were at least 9 of those subsequently found to be innocent - there’s probably more now. Too late after the person is dead! Oooopppps! Sorry! doesn’t really suffice does it?

I find the death penalty abhorrent - it’s state sponsored murder in my view. It’s saying, ‘we don’t know what to do with you, so we’ll kill you’? It’s been proven, that it doesn’t act as a deterrent, and it’s all about revenge, not justice. White rich criminals, including murderers, frequently/always get off. You get the justice you can afford to pay for in too many cases!