On the contrary Bob, I understood Tulky's post entirely. The victims of pre-empted crime, especially the young or otherwise vulnerable, will always elicit my sympathies, as well they would of almost everyone reading this. That, I would have thought, would go without saying.
The point I was making in my original post, and the one I chose to expand upon, was that criminal justice is not something that should be governed by passion and mob-rule. Instead it should be applied evenly, according to the severity of the offence committed.
In the cases of those who act out of a psychological predilection, their punishment should perhaps be tackled differently, so that the punishment (and it should be a punishment in the event of a crime being committed) has a longer-term constructive effect.
But once the period of punishment is over, if further rehabilitation of the offender is required for their own good or the good of society in general, then this should be applied sympathetically – according to the needs of the individual.
Regards,
LS
I agree with what you are saying, however a person cannot be made to undergo further rehabilitation without either his consent, or a court order surely? If Gary Glitter refuses any treatment, and as his case was not in this country, I don't see how he can be compelled to, where does that leave the situation?