Hi there ONTHEBEACH...

Regrettably, you're absolutely correct ! A convicted criminal is sent to gaol as a punishment, not FOR punishment ? I'm not saying they have an easy time of it whilst locked up. Nevertheless, they are afforded the best of medical treatment, and there's even evidence that a 'sex re-assignment' surgery was undertaken, at tax payers expense ? Apparently, it was medically asserted, that for the inmate in question to seriously engage in a sustained programme of rehabilitation, he must first feel emotionally stable as a female, before any meaningful success could be expected ? Therefore the surgery was consequently approved.

Personally, if that's what it takes to 'turn' these blokes around, from a life of a career criminal, then so be it. Whether it's a waste of tax payers money, who am I to judge ? My working life was dedicated to catching these blokes, and locking 'em up ! The moralising and pontificating, I'll leave that to the academics ?

Foxy, he was also trying to impress his would be gang members, and there is always a slim chance he knew of the murder, and where it happened and was taking the bragging rights to the crime. Very unlikely, but possible.

On the beach, I have often thought gaol should be more like whole in the ground, where the worse the crime, the deeper and darker the whole, but, gaol should also be reserved for hardened criminals only, not full of people who failed to pay a speeding fine, or such.

As for food, they get what is sent to the salvos and, if it happens to be stew every night of the week, tough!

I used to serve one of the prisons wit meat and I was astounded to see a white board in the kitchen saying the likes of, "#625 is allergic to seafood, or #728 requires soy milk", that's a joke.

Typically they were given a choice of two mains, usually one meat, one fish/chicken. On Sundays they had roast night, with a choice of two from beef, lamb, pork and chicken. In fact, if it were chicken, it was half a size 11 bird each.

They had a huge marble table for making their pastries and bread, that's right, pastries. It was decided that marble was better t work with than stainless steel.

The kitchen was fitted out with state of the art brat pans, steam cookers and tilt kettles, the likes many restaurants dream of having.

I remember them holding an indigenous family day one Sunday, I had to make 120 special BBQ sausage, then, when the other inmates found out I had to rush about 600 more up, to avoid a riot I was told.

Prison is a joke, and in fact, many reoffend so as to get sent back, as they get better treatment than our pensioners in many cases.

That's why I say gaol should be a hole in the ground where you are fed left overs. If you don't like it, don't put yourself there.

Dear rehctub,

As long as these dangerous psychopaths are not allowed back
into our communities to do harm - that's my main
concern. Part of the problem appears to be that mental
disorders are hard to prove. There's rarely a simple,
clinical test to determine if and how someone is mentally
disordered. Instead the decision depends on the opinion
of trained observers - who frequently disagree among
themselves - and thus we get these dangerous psychopaths
being released back into our society to do more damage.
As has happened in this case.

Foxy,

Why must you have it that psychopathy and sociopathy are 'mental illnesses'? Is it a refusal to believe that people, men and women, offend by choice?

Harden up and accept that there are evil people in the world and all that stands between them and you is the cooperation of other people in informing the police so that they can collar the mongrels.

o sung wu & rehtub,

I would much rather that the grubs receive a .308 as early in their careers as possible. Thinking rationally however, there is more to be gained from keeping them in a cell somewhere out of contact with the public. The question is how to do that economically, but given that they are most usually sly, lazy and forever manipulative and dangerous, and there are always hanky-wringers who protest for prisoner 'rights' to embarrass authorities, the options are few and expensive.

None of that should prevent them from doing hard labor as prisoners once did, before the aforementioned hanky-wringers discovered that it is always society at fault and never the offenders, who must be mentally challenged and misled through society's 'unfair' prior treatment of them.

Amazing that railway fettlers and farm workers can work under conditions that the hanky-wringing prisoner rights mob would never countenance for the violent thugs who fill the gaols. The lunar Greens and assorted elements who pose as the 'Left' (but would be unrecognisable to any real leftie) protect criminals and do not even accord ordinary, law-abiding citizens the right to defend themselves in their own home.

Hi there REHTUB, ONTHEBEACH and FOXY...

Just for your information, there is a clear test in law for those claiming they were insane, at the time they allegedly committed a crime, in other words 'Diminished Responsibility'. The test is called the 'McNaghten Rules'. It goes something like this;

'...It is a defence to criminal prosecution for the accused to show that, at the time of committing the act, he was labouring under such a defect of reason, from a disease of the mind, as to not know the nature and quality of the act he was doing, or if he did know this, that he did not know, that what he was doing was wrong...'

The McNaghten case was established in England in 1843, and the precedent came at McNaghten's own trial for murder, before Tindal CJ and two other judges.

I might add, to raise a defence based on insanity (McNaghtens Rules) is relatively difficulty, with many attempting and few succeeding...thankfully.

I hope this explains a little on criminal capacity, 'diminished responsibility' ?

otb,

I'm not claiming anything of the sort. I was merely looking
for answers as to why this particular person was released
with his disturbing past record - back into the community,
and being concerned that this could happen again.
Therefore I put it down to the fact that in his case - it was
probably due to the fact that mental disorders are complex
issues for the authorities to deal with.

Dear o sung wu,

In this particular case - hopefully the offender will not
be released so easily on a plea of "diminished responsibility."
(whatever). Still the decision will depend I guess on the
future findings of "trained observers."
We can only hope that this will not happen and that Daniel's
parents will have some influence.