In baseball, three strikes and you’re out. In many US states, the Three Strikes Law applies where a repeat offender has a harssh prison sentence if convicted of three crimes.
Here we regularly read of a criminal with multiple – often as many as 50 – previous convictions and they seem to have spent very little time in jail.
If there is no effective means of reform, these recidivists would be better off in prison, long term, until we can come up with another solution – and so would society. If the ‘snowflakes’ can provide an evidence-based alternative, they should make their case.
Please log in or register with Independent.ie for free access to this article.
Log In
New to Independent.ie? Create an account
Dr Michael Foley
Rathmines, Dublin
Card-makers have forgotten real meaning of Christmas
On a visit to a local multi-national store, I was surprised to see the selection of Christmas cards on sale.
Of the hundreds of cards, not one had the slightest semblance of the birthday of Jesus, the greatest holiday in the calendar.
Lots of winter scenes, snow and baubles, but no nativity scene or anything related to it. I struggle to find a reason why this is so.
Let’s hope it is not a concerted plan that the birth of Jesus must be blanked out to cash in on the festivities.
However, we wish him a happy birthday and hope he grants us all a wonderful Christmas.
Mary Haran
Aclare, Co Sligo
Insurance companies will just pass on the cost of tax
I applaud and encourage my local TD, Michael D’Arcy, in his efforts to procure reasonable insurance premiums for us.
He advocates a Super Tax for those insurance companies which make excessive profits. Maybe I am missing something here, but surely the insurance companies will simply pass on such a tax to their customers?
David Cleere
Gorey, Co Wexford
What will be done to protect our emptying rural areas?
A report in your newspaper suggests the rural population of this country is continuing to decline (Irish Independent, December 17).
As remaining residents in the countryside struggle with isolation, loneliness, poverty, lack of local services with the mass closure of post offices, garda stations, banking services, health services, transport services and government departments, it must be asked: what is Government policy on this issue?
With a general election looming, the onus is on all political parties to make their policies clear on how they will deal with the problem.
The lopsided nature of population shift from west to east is creating gridlock in our capital and all along the east coast, while the west coast, from Co Donegal to Co Kerry, continues to experience population and services decline at an alarming rate.
As the majority of our politicians remain silent on this issue, one wonders where current policy is being formulated – in Dublin, Brussels, Paris or Berlin?
It appears rural Ireland is being stripped of its people by policies to provide a playground for the elite and the aristocrats of Europe.
Tom Towey
Cloonacool, Co Sligo
It is in Europe’s interest to drag out Brexit negotiations
It is now obvious, for the first time, that Brexit will actually occur. There has been a massive power shift in the UK parliament with the Conservatives’ 80-plus majority.
Boris Johnson’s new power-base has been exemplified by his slight but significant amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement, putting a time limit on negotiations.
This will have many benefits for the UK. It will also focus minds. There is a saying in business that ‘time is money’. This is particularly true in the case of the negotiations, where each extra day costs the UK approximately £25m, based on the annual contribution to the EU of £10bn.
And, of course, this £25m pales into insignificance given the massive trade deficit the UK has with the EU, which amounts to an annual £100bn-plus, or £250m a day.
Given this huge amount in jeopardy, is it any wonder the EU wants to procrastinate?
The Irish Independent has already made it clear UK trade deals with countries outside the EU cannot be concluded until the final terms of the EU/UK deal are completed.
Obviously the UK would be stupid not to carry out negotiations with these EU competitors in parallel.
We import massive amounts of food from Ireland and manufactured goods from the continent. Once non-EU countries get equal access to the UK market, the £100bn trade surplus will rapidly diminish. This equal access to China, Brazil and others should be reciprocated, giving a boost to our exports.
No wonder we want to get this done quickly and the EU wants to drag out negotiations.
John Condon
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
Source: Read Full Article
Home » Analysis & Comment » Letters to the Editor: 'We’d be better off keeping repeat offenders in prison'
Letters to the Editor: 'We’d be better off keeping repeat offenders in prison'
In baseball, three strikes and you’re out. In many US states, the Three Strikes Law applies where a repeat offender has a harssh prison sentence if convicted of three crimes.
Here we regularly read of a criminal with multiple – often as many as 50 – previous convictions and they seem to have spent very little time in jail.
If there is no effective means of reform, these recidivists would be better off in prison, long term, until we can come up with another solution – and so would society. If the ‘snowflakes’ can provide an evidence-based alternative, they should make their case.
Please log in or register with Independent.ie for free access to this article.
Log In
New to Independent.ie? Create an account
Dr Michael Foley
Rathmines, Dublin
Card-makers have forgotten real meaning of Christmas
On a visit to a local multi-national store, I was surprised to see the selection of Christmas cards on sale.
Of the hundreds of cards, not one had the slightest semblance of the birthday of Jesus, the greatest holiday in the calendar.
Lots of winter scenes, snow and baubles, but no nativity scene or anything related to it. I struggle to find a reason why this is so.
Let’s hope it is not a concerted plan that the birth of Jesus must be blanked out to cash in on the festivities.
However, we wish him a happy birthday and hope he grants us all a wonderful Christmas.
Mary Haran
Aclare, Co Sligo
Insurance companies will just pass on the cost of tax
I applaud and encourage my local TD, Michael D’Arcy, in his efforts to procure reasonable insurance premiums for us.
He advocates a Super Tax for those insurance companies which make excessive profits. Maybe I am missing something here, but surely the insurance companies will simply pass on such a tax to their customers?
David Cleere
Gorey, Co Wexford
What will be done to protect our emptying rural areas?
A report in your newspaper suggests the rural population of this country is continuing to decline (Irish Independent, December 17).
As remaining residents in the countryside struggle with isolation, loneliness, poverty, lack of local services with the mass closure of post offices, garda stations, banking services, health services, transport services and government departments, it must be asked: what is Government policy on this issue?
With a general election looming, the onus is on all political parties to make their policies clear on how they will deal with the problem.
The lopsided nature of population shift from west to east is creating gridlock in our capital and all along the east coast, while the west coast, from Co Donegal to Co Kerry, continues to experience population and services decline at an alarming rate.
As the majority of our politicians remain silent on this issue, one wonders where current policy is being formulated – in Dublin, Brussels, Paris or Berlin?
It appears rural Ireland is being stripped of its people by policies to provide a playground for the elite and the aristocrats of Europe.
Tom Towey
Cloonacool, Co Sligo
It is in Europe’s interest to drag out Brexit negotiations
It is now obvious, for the first time, that Brexit will actually occur. There has been a massive power shift in the UK parliament with the Conservatives’ 80-plus majority.
Boris Johnson’s new power-base has been exemplified by his slight but significant amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement, putting a time limit on negotiations.
This will have many benefits for the UK. It will also focus minds. There is a saying in business that ‘time is money’. This is particularly true in the case of the negotiations, where each extra day costs the UK approximately £25m, based on the annual contribution to the EU of £10bn.
And, of course, this £25m pales into insignificance given the massive trade deficit the UK has with the EU, which amounts to an annual £100bn-plus, or £250m a day.
Given this huge amount in jeopardy, is it any wonder the EU wants to procrastinate?
The Irish Independent has already made it clear UK trade deals with countries outside the EU cannot be concluded until the final terms of the EU/UK deal are completed.
Obviously the UK would be stupid not to carry out negotiations with these EU competitors in parallel.
We import massive amounts of food from Ireland and manufactured goods from the continent. Once non-EU countries get equal access to the UK market, the £100bn trade surplus will rapidly diminish. This equal access to China, Brazil and others should be reciprocated, giving a boost to our exports.
No wonder we want to get this done quickly and the EU wants to drag out negotiations.
John Condon
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England
Source: Read Full Article