Zoe Williams in the Guardian 04/03/2010:
For all that liberals whine about media scrutiny in the Venables case, that cuts both ways. From the moment the Bulger killers were sentenced, they became a flagship project for the touchy-feely, deep thinkers in the rehab industry. Beardy-Weirdy had a free hand, an unlimited budget and complete protection from public accountability, so it's only now, when we finally get a chance to peek behind the curtain, that we find out that the whole rehab effort was pretty much the pseudo-scientific farce the right always said it was, global warming with psychopaths instead of polar bears.
Venables, of course, has served his sentence for the death of James Bulger... Actually, if his case demonstrates anything, it's how effective parole can be, and how quickly the conditions of a licence can be acted upon.OK, so that's a little like arguing that Toyota's jamming accelerator problems gave them the opportunity to demonstrate just how well their air bags work, but let's say that from first principles, that's not such a bad argument. Except....
Venables, 27, is banned from visiting Merseyside as one of the conditions of his release, but he has reportedly been to Liverpool several times, where he has gone clubbing, snorted cocaine and been to Everton football matches.Never mind the specifics of the current allegations, these revelations alone testify to a system that's neither quick or effective.
For all that liberals whine about media scrutiny in the Venables case, that cuts both ways. From the moment the Bulger killers were sentenced, they became a flagship project for the touchy-feely, deep thinkers in the rehab industry. Beardy-Weirdy had a free hand, an unlimited budget and complete protection from public accountability, so it's only now, when we finally get a chance to peek behind the curtain, that we find out that the whole rehab effort was pretty much the pseudo-scientific farce the right always said it was, global warming with psychopaths instead of polar bears.
1 comment:
'... the whole rehab effort was pretty much the pseudo-scientific farce ...'
Are you suggesting that exposing miscreants to a Victim Studies graduate of one of the lesser Polyversities, equipped with flip chart and strategies to empower her client to address his offending behaviour, might not be completely effective?
I'm sure that the Very Clever People who look after us will be right on it.
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