I saw on the news yesterday evening that a judge gave out the longest serving sentence ever handed down in South Africa yesterday.

Three men were conviceted of the rape and murder of a 4 year old child last year. Two of them broke into a house where the little child and the maid were, while the third man 'stood watch.'

The third person, who said that he did not know what was happening inside the house was given a 20 year sentence for conspiracy, while one of the men inside the house, was given 3 life sentences and an additional 10 years for armed robbery. The second man was given two life sentences and an additional 10, also for the armed robbery.

The newsreader then commented that 'two of the three men will not see the outside of a prison until they are 60.' - these men are now 30.

When does crime become serious? I mean.. When is 30 years actually not enough? These men broke into someone's house, raped the maid and the 4 year old child, ransacked the house, took everything that they wanted, killed the little girl and then hid her body under a bed in the house, leaving the maid tied up outside, with no clothes on, after gang-raping her.

No-one can tell me that they didn't know what they were doing. Although they confess to being 'high' on drugs at the time, who's fault is that? Surely that should go against them as well?

I mean really - I know that we all write to prisoners because we feel for them and we want them to be integrated back into the outside world again, at some point, but when does violent crime actully become too much?

These guys will not serve 30 years - prisons in South Africa are totally overcrowded as it is, and in another 5 years, although there may well be a few more prisons having been built, the way this country is... there will be many thousands more in them... still making the prisons overcrowded. Crime in this country is just well and truly out of control.

Personally I think that these guy will serve about five years each. It happens everyday, that convicted murderers are let out of prisons, simply because they are overcrowded, in this country.

Sorry for the looooonnng post...

Please tell me what you think.

Another sad story, gobbi.
And, another good question. What kind of punishment is appropriate?
I'm sure that there are many different opinions. For me, there is no wondering about thirty years or the suffering of the perpetrators. It is all about the several minutes of horror, and pain, that the little girl suffered and the maid. I would always keep that thought, formost, in my mind, and there would never be any doubt that the gallows would be the most appropriate form of punishment.

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Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly.

Cowards are cruel, but the brave love mercy.

Gobbi, I feel you on this one.

It's sad to think that after such a brutal crime, they could possibly be out in 5 years.

Gobbi,

It is really terrible what these guys did.
let's just hope that the future changes for the good, and that these guys will serve a decent time in prison.


Karin, Belgium

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Kind regards,

Karin, Belgium

I agree - 5 years is no time at all.

"Although they confess to being 'high' on drugs at the time, who's fault is that? Surely that should go against them as well?" Can't agree with that, though. I do honestly believe that people who commit crimes while high, or who have a drug addiction are completely different to those who do it purely in cold blood. Yes, they are still comitting a crime, but I really think that some people would not have turned into criminals had they not got a severe drug addiction. The power of drugs turns people into monsters.

Just my opinion, not wanting to offend anyone!

http://www.usp.com.au/fpss/prison-africa.html

In the words of my friend.......

"We will continue to build more and more prisons for a number of reasons, one of those reasons is because the American culture stresses INDIVIDUALITY, personal responsibility and so called FREE WILL. Thus most Americans find it difficult to look past or beyond their own immediate situations. These are reasonable values - one might think and/or believe, but this focus on extreme personal responsibility obscures our view of the bigger picture - and that is we are all somewhat responsible for what others do - because they are shaped or warped by the world we live in.
As quoted in my school text book ivé been working on "Sociology" ......

"Human behaviour is influenced by societal forces like the law, race, gender, poverty, expectations, the media, the way our parents raised us and what is acceptable as right or wrong in our environment."

Gobbi, while i agree it is an extreemely sad case for all concerned, from what i have been reading of late find it hard to believe these men will only serve 5 years out of a 30 year sentence.(link above)
What ever the case maybe, i feel as my friend does, whether the society is in Africa, America, Australia or any other part of the world. We all play a part somewhere in the decisions of others and there lives. This is my belief anyway.

__________________
If you are compassionate in your approach to all tasks in life, believing that all "problems" contain valuable lessons, you will find peace of mind.
~Dr. Lee Jampolsky

http://www.usp.com.au/fpss/prison-africa.html

In the words of my friend.......

"We will continue to build more and more prisons for a number of reasons, one of those reasons is because the American culture stresses INDIVIDUALITY, personal responsibility and so called FREE WILL. Thus most Americans find it difficult to look past or beyond their own immediate situations. These are reasonable values - one might think and/or believe, but this focus on extreme personal responsibility obscures our view of the bigger picture - and that is we are all somewhat responsible for what others do - because they are shaped or warped by the world we live in.
As quoted in my school text book ivé been working on "Sociology" ......

"Human behaviour is influenced by societal forces like the law, race, gender, poverty, expectations, the media, the way our parents raised us and what is acceptable as right or wrong in our environment."

Gobbi, while i agree it is an extreemely sad case for all concerned, from what i have been reading of late find it hard to believe these men will only serve 5 years out of a 30 year sentence.(link above)
What ever the case maybe, i feel as my friend does, whether the society is in Africa, America, Australia or any other part of the world. We all play a part somewhere in the decisions of others and there lives. This is my belief anyway.

__________________
If you are compassionate in your approach to all tasks in life, believing that all "problems" contain valuable lessons, you will find peace of mind.
~Dr. Lee Jampolsky

"Human behaviour is influenced by societal forces like the law, race, gender, poverty, expectations, the media, the way our parents raised us and what is acceptable as right or wrong in our environment."

"Human behaviour", I guess being the key words here. Those acts are definitely not humane. What could possibly have influenced these men in their lives to rape and murder a 4 year old child?

And if drugs did play a part - they are still responsible for their actions, and should not affect the sentence. It would be a crime if they did only spend 5 years in prison. 30 years is generous, in my opinion.

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What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

smileys quote on what human behaviour is...is spot on

of course what these men did wasnt humane no one was suggesting it was, but human behaviour includes the brutal just as much as it does the humane thats a simple fact of life

Im sure in Africa the conditions are SEVERE and i simply dont believe they would allow serious criminals to serve only small % of their sentence, it doesnt make any sense nor serve any purpose in relation to all the documented information that comes out of Africa in relation to its justice system

Janiceann, this may answer your question.......

http://www.matrixmasters.com/world/africa/2004_03_01_archiveafrica.html

__________________
If you are compassionate in your approach to all tasks in life, believing that all "problems" contain valuable lessons, you will find peace of mind.
~Dr. Lee Jampolsky