niceday Posted April 20, 2006 Report Share Posted April 20, 2006 Rather than put in my tuppence worth on the 'Peter Leask' thread I though I'd take the opportunity to make a wider point about ‘doing justice’ in a small community like Shetland. I have always thought that it is unfortunate that a more imaginative, dare I say more progressive, approach to dealing with people causing (or threatening) harm to the community is not attempted in Shetland. Too ready recourse is made to the anglo-saxon model of crime-responsibility-prosecution-court-retributive or deterrent punishment. Other approaches to ‘doing justice’ are possible. I am attracted to the idea of so called ‘restorative justice’ where those doing harm are forced to confront the harm they have caused to the community and a contract is made between the offender and the community for repairing the harm which has been done and preventing future harm. It therefore involves a conceptual shift away from a system based on retributive punishment which is ‘backward looking’ to a ‘forward looking’ approach. These ideas are obviously difficult to implement in large metropolitan areas but they have been successfully inserted into mainstream justice processes in smaller communities in parts of New Zealand, Canada and Australia. I think if anywhere is likely to have the capacity to implement a ‘restorative’ approach to justice then it would be a relatively small and ‘strong’ community like Shetland. If anyone is interested in this you can read more here: http://www.restorativejustice.org/intro/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted April 22, 2006 Report Share Posted April 22, 2006 How did I miss this one. Prisons are packed to bursting point so why not an experimental "local jail" for remote areas like Shetland where relatives have a hard time visiting. Somewhere that could run some sort of programme to prevent re-offending rather than keeping people locked up. Somewhere like Unst where there are some spare buildings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally Posted April 25, 2006 Report Share Posted April 25, 2006 How did I miss this one. Prisons are packed to bursting point so why not an experimental "local jail" for remote areas like Shetland where relatives have a hard time visiting. Somewhere that could run some sort of programme to prevent re-offending rather than keeping people locked up. Somewhere like Unst where there are some spare buildings. lol - I love the way that people are getting more and more imaginative in their approach to the "Unst problem"! I say allocate them all numbers and prevent them from leaving the island through the use of big inflatable white death-balls… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Styles Posted April 25, 2006 Report Share Posted April 25, 2006 people allways say about bringing back the birch and giveing criminals a caneing. I can see from the passion of the christ how it puts people off reoffending! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fifi Posted April 26, 2006 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 people allways say about bringing back the birch and giveing criminals a caneing. I can see from the passion of the christ how it puts people off reoffending!I read that as 'giveing criminals a canoeing...' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pooks Posted April 26, 2006 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 I say allocate them all numbers and prevent them from leaving the island through the use of big inflatable white death-balls… I am not a number! I am a free man! Supposedly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njugle Posted April 26, 2006 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 Get back in your cell Number 12! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petergear Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 The local sherrif employed quite a creative touch to his "doing justice" this week. I have cut-and-pasted this article from the Shetland News website: A SHERIFF has told a young musician from Shetland that he must think up ways of steering young people off drugs, after he admitted giving a teenage friend a cannabis reefer at Lerwick Sheriff Court yesterday (Wednesday). Lyall Balfour Campbell, aged 24, of Stakkafletts, Fetlar, was arrested in Law Lane, Lerwick, last February after police were tipped off that a group of youngsters were preparing a reefer. Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said the finger was pointed at Campbell as being the source of the drugs, but the amount of cannabis in the reefer was "ridiculously small". Sheriff Graeme Napier deferred sentence on Campbell, telling him to return to court in six months with some ideas on preventing drug abuse in young people. Sheriff Napier said: "I would like some suggestions as to how the implications of being involved in the misuse of drugs can properly be communicated to young people in Shetland." He suggested Campbell liaise with local youth groups, drug agencies and the council's social work department to help him with his task. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustMe Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 Brilliant!......something constructive as a penalty for the (minor) crime. I wish we could see more ideas like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Distortio Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 ...after he admitted giving a teenage friend a cannabis reefer at Lerwick Sheriff Court yesterday should have waited till they were out of the courtroom, that's just asking for trouble... 8O Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peeriebryan Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 ^Good een Distortio ^ ...the amount of cannabis in the reefer was "ridiculously small"That's the real crime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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