Should We Know Why Jon Venables is Back Inside?

[readinglad]

This has caused massive media attention but should the public be told why is he is back in prison? Was the child killer released to early only 8 years for a horrific crime? Should Jon Venables be given another new identity? Should we bring back the death penalty? What are views on this story?

[Sultan of Cannock- SRFC]

That it's got into the public domain at all opens up a real can of worms. Was at just a technical breach (eg just being in the wrong place at the wrong time) or a serious criminal offence that may have included violence against another child?

On balance i'm in favour of keeping it quiet, for a while at least. As taxpayers, rightly or wrongly we've spent thousands on the new identity, etc for Venables and if disclosing the reason led to it costing us even more to give him another identity then i'd rather not know.

I do remember, though not in detail, that the then Home Secretary Michael Howard wished to impose longer sentences on both of James Bulger's killers but was slapped down by the judiciary. The argument against him was along the lines that rehabillitation should cvome before revenge.

Whether 8 years is long enough to repent and rehabillitate is a bit of a moot point, though.

[frankiegth]

Venables and Thompson, by doing what they did actually improved their lot. They had special education for their remaning school lives (better than most state funded children) I had to battle like f**K to get my autistic son extra care.

They served next to no time actually in prison when they came of age, and to top it off were given new identities to protect them on release. Fair does.

However Venables is now a 27 year old adult and he IMHO has spurned his second chance (James Bulger hasn't had a second chance) and should now face the music (tough sh1t baby if you get a seeing to) You have no-one to blame but your lowlife self.

[readinglad]

He should have been released at the age of 28, then he would have been less vulnerable and also come to the terms of his terrible crime. At 18 all kind of emotions would have been going through his head and clearly didn't have enough of rehab. He shouldn't be protected by the taxpayer anymore, he has had his chance and has thrown it away.

In this country the justice system is awful, kill someone and you could be back on the streets in 2 years time. Life should mean life not 15 years.

[loy PRA]

Mar 5, 2010 23:13:42 GMT readinglad said:

He should have been released at the age of 28, then he would have been less vulnerable and also come to the terms of his terrible crime. At 18 all kind of emotions would have been going through his head and clearly didn't have enough of rehab. He shouldn't be proteceted by the taxpayer anymore, he has had his chance and has thrown it away.

In this country the justice system is awful, kill someone and you could be back on the streets in 2 years time

Big presumptions given the public knows absolutely nothing about the two since their arrest.

I cannot begin to comprehend what exactly motivated two, exceedingly normal looking boys to do what they did however I also think given the development and and wide spectrum of emotions and feelings someone develops as they grow, that neither Venables or Thompson should be considered to be systematic child torturers for the rest of their lives. I can't really see where that would go or how it would really improve anything.

I agree with Justice Secretary Jack Straw not releasing the details as a matter of public interest and to stop the media circus that would inevitably follow. Indeed the furor caused when Venables himself was thought to be living under an assumed name in Australia after a 'tip-off' proved to be eroneous and extremely dangerous if it'd been allowed to escalate. It's best to approach the situation with reform.