On Crime and Punishment

One of the key aspects of our criminal justice system is the idea that once you've served your punishment, you have paid your debt to society. It is true that there are still consequences, it is harder for ex-prisoners to get jobs and sex offenders (rightly) have prescriptions to prevent them from reoffending. However, they are still accorded the full range of rights and legal protections that everyone else has.

This is why I found comments like this so disturbing. To summarise, this supposed conservative host is arguing that racists should be stripped of all rights, "No bank account, no ability to travel, no passport no benefits nothing."

Wow.

Considering that we don't do this for murderers, rapists or pedophiles is he suggesting that making racist comments is worse than these crimes? What having and voicing unacceptable views means you should have your life destroyed and end up on the street? Plus of course, the big question is who decides where the line is drawn? Finally, the biggest problem for me (as with most of cancel culture) is the inability to express forgiveness. The past few days have seen a 12-year-old boy arrested for sending racist tweets. At what point could be considered redeemed, if ever? Will he have this hanging over him for the rest of his life?

The ultimate irony here is that for years the left has been arguing that prison should not be about punishment but about rehabilitation. Now it seems that doesn't apply if you've committed a thought crime, you are branded with the mark of Cain and utterly irredeemable.

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