[students_forum]

Originally Posted by Shelley_c

I think it's safe to say that knife crime was always a prominent part of united kingdoms social life long before the eastern European countries were accepted into the European Union.

People that read into the newspapers too much would not have experienced knife crime, the type that sit on the fence and want all the facts published when infact the facts are manipulated by government to suit their agenda to gain an extra term in a job which brings great benefits to them.

Then you have the people that sit on the fence and don't know anything or live in the country that is being discussed that think they know it all. Probably the people that you can compare to that mother who new her daughter was being raped as a kid but did not do anything because they never had the facts to prove it. Or had the statistics written down in black and white on a A4 document.

Anyway, Knife crime was always on the rise and I can honestly say has nothing or has a minimal amount of influence from the eastern European countries entering the EU.

The law is a shambles, criminals know they'll get away with it and if they are found guilty they can put forward some kind of insanity plea or loop hole found in many of our laws to get a soft sentence and a comfy stay in prison watching tv on that 50 inch lcd screen payed by the hard earning taxpayers.

It's that bad because government have their agendas, too many judges do not pass down the appropriate punishment and too many cowards sit on the side lines and quote documents all day because they are pure cowards.

It depends on what you aim to achieve in society as a whole?

Do you want to lock-up and punish young offenders (bearing in mind they probably have had exposure to violence as children - which brings into question how fair is it) or help them get established in society?

Those people you accuse of reading newspapers () and wanting all the facts look objectively at the bigger picture, and try to balance your need for punishment and what is beneficial for society.

Speaking of which, have you been watching the documentary on channel 4 on crime in Oxford? It was quite interesting.