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| Thread ID: 86664 | 2008-01-24 09:38:00 | On what basis do judges give out punishments? | qazwsxokmijn (102) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 633565 | 2008-01-24 09:38:00 | I know judges are the ones who give out the final call for criminals - but on what law/basis do they have to judge their calls on? And does anybody know when the law was last updated, or how I can contact someone to have a say about it? |
qazwsxokmijn (102) | ||
| 633566 | 2008-01-24 11:42:00 | The laws used to determine the punishment for different types of crime is being changed regularly and reviewed. For eg. The repeal of Section 59 or the ant-smacking bill. If you do want to have a saw, contact the law commission as they have been talking about reviewing EVERY law in NZ and updating the whole system You could contact the Justice select Committee in Parliament about a specific bill or act that you are interested about. The Chairperson is Lynne Pillay from Labour. The easiest way would be to contact your local MP and tell him your concerns or write to the minister of Corrections or Justice and let them know. |
beeswax34 (63) | ||
| 633567 | 2008-01-24 11:48:00 | Judges are pretty much insane, And god dammit, They respect the principals of the treaty..... Poor victims of the white mans evil. |
Metla (12) | ||
| 633568 | 2008-01-24 12:01:00 | Judges are cushioned peoples. e.g. Repeat Rapist need therapy and let loose on the street to reoffend. Also murders need to be released so they can justify killing by releasing books. Did I forget to mention drunk drivers have to be convicted 20 times before somebody says something honest? |
rob_on_guitar (4196) | ||
| 633569 | 2008-01-25 06:20:00 | I know judges are the ones who give out the final call for criminals - but on what law/basis do they have to judge their calls on? They follow sentencing guidelines laid down in the relevant statute, increased or decreased within the allowable limits by degree of seriousness or mitigating circumstances plus previous offending record, good or bad. They don't have a huge amount of discretion and sentences can always been appealed up or down. You have little opportunity as an individual to influence sentencing guidelines but you could always get involved with the Sensible Sentencing Trust or whatever it is called, Googling Garth McVicar should return a result. Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 633570 | 2008-01-25 06:26:00 | The laws used to determine the punishment for different types of crime is being changed regularly and reviewed. For eg. The repeal of Section 59 or the ant-smacking bill. I hope you guys can believe me when I say I am thoroughly surprised that the laws determining punishments are regularly changed and reviewed. |
qazwsxokmijn (102) | ||
| 633571 | 2008-01-25 07:09:00 | Go to http://www.legislation.govt.nz and search for the Sentencing Act. It's quite a long act and somewhat technical (IANAL) but it does give you an idea of the principles that judges are required to work under. Don't criticise the judges if you think sentences are not long enough, judges are bound by the statutes that criminals are charged under and the Sentencing Act, and other guidelines etc. Criticise the politicians who make the laws. BTW, if you adopt the "throw away the key" attitude like the "Sensible Sentencing Trust" seems to advocate, who's going to pay to keep all the baddies locked up for decades? And where are we going to build all the prisons? Would you want a prison in that vacant land two blocks from your house? Not trying to flame here, I just wonder about these things. |
Mackin_NZ (6958) | ||
| 633572 | 2008-01-25 07:28:00 | Bring back the Death Penalty. Lots cheaper than locking them up and feeding them for years. Good economic common sense. | CliveM (6007) | ||
| 633573 | 2008-01-25 07:36:00 | I was at a conference a few years ago where one of the guest speakers pointed out the inconsistencies in the sentencing laws. To cause an employee to suffer stress resulted in a higher penalty than if you committed manslaughter. The conclusion from this seemed to be that if you had an employee suffering stress the answer was to run them over. |
Mercury (1316) | ||
| 633574 | 2008-01-25 07:41:00 | And if the person is a repeat offender, and a probation officer writes a report the Judge usually sentences that person on the P.O's recommendation. The Judge would also sentence someone to a particular sentence, based on their previous criminal history. And you're right the laws (and sentences) are pretty slack. Mild compared to other countries. And yes I do know what I'm talking about. I worked with the courts and probation for 15 - 16 yrs |
Speedy Gonzales (78) | ||
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