Letter: Instead of shouting, Listen to what Ken Clarke said
Tuesday 24th May 2011, 6:00AM BST.
Letter: Newspapers love to put politicians in pillories. Whipping up a frenzy accentuating emotional aspects of a case is grist to the paper mill. Consequently any underlying problem that needs to be addressed is often unfortunately hidden.
Take Kenneth Clarke for instance. No-one could deny, not even I suspect Kenneth Clarke, that rape is a diabolical crime and to differentiate between levels of rape would be impossible.
So why then do judges have discretion to award differing sentences? Surely, unless Mr Clarke had a valid point, rape is a case where a one-size custodial sentence fits all? It’s a ‘throw away the key’ job, isn’t it?
There was a case reported recently of a man falsely accused of rape. So what should happen then?
Should the one who made the false accusation go to a prison where locks have no keys, or would the courts be forced to look more deeply into the case and consider psychological aspects, provocation, childhood background and all other modern concepts of contributory innocence?
Not always that easy, is it?
Peter J H Sharman
Llanymynech
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But that is the point is it not? Clarke has a valid point and is therefore only stating the obvious, that like all other crimes it is possible to differentiate between levels.
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I think we need to approach it the USA way they deal with it all as an example murder1,2,3 etc and adopt it for all crime. I think clarke put it across wrong but I think most intelligent people knew what he meant . Then we need to address how we rehabilitate, which is longer sentences to enable the professionals to actually rehabilitate as it now stands they are not in prison long enough for this to take place.
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I think that Ken Clarke just mixed up his wording, and it’s been blown out of Proportion. Not that I agree with him, he’s a lazy waste of space, never gets anything done.
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Your opinion is based on what?
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