The 'thief' forced by his boss on a walk of shame through town

[damyanti]

[CODE]
In the case you posted there also remains the questions of who is sentencing an alleged criminal and who's carrying out the sentence.

Which is why I said:

Of course, there remains that pesky issue of "innocent until proven guilty" and public taking law into their own hands.

It is clearly a matter for the courts.

[CODE]
Then there is the question of what is a crime. Six women have been buried alive in Pakistan recently because they refused to marry their chosen partners. In my book, not marrying a guy i don't want to isn't a crime.

You are trying to murky the waters, lits, lol. What is a crime is pretty clear - theft, murder, rape- look into the penal code of your country. How did you make a jump from theft in a western country to forced marriage issue in a country that is democracy only on paper.

[CODE]
And then there is the final question of how far it should go: Should it stay with naming and shaming, tarring and feathering or do we go all the way and "hang 'em higher"?

How far it should go? Common sense and some sense of justice. I am against violence and aggression and criminal corporal punishment. I am strongly against capital punishment.

But here, in Europe, I think we have went a little too far on the lenient side. The worst prisons look like B star hotels. There is no shame.

So no, I wouldn't "hang" them, but a healthy dose of humiliation...yes, I think it would at least make them think twice.

A bit of humility never killed anyone.

[CODE]
All in all, i think the way justice is carried out nowadays in most western countries has proven to be the a good way.

[CODE]
Even if it's very expensive and not very effective.
However, sometimes i think the law could be a bit harsher where i live.

You contradict yourself!

First and foremost, I am for the creation of the economical and social atmosphere where there is no cause for petty crime. But, on the other side, how many people (I am talking "western societies") are forced to steel for food? How about taking drugs?

I think, for first time non-violent offenders, humiliation would be a suitable punishment - if they have children (to support) they are not made secondary victims, they don't lose their job, time and money isn't wasted on keeping them in prison which leaves more room for violent offenders and makes sure they don't (by going into prison) learn how to become true hard core criminals.

Why cant there ever be a middle? In U.S. they hand out the death penalty with horrifying regularity, and here, four years in prison for rape is considered strict sentence. And why there isn't a life sentence for pedophiles?