McCann kidnapping
May 9th, 2007 by Stephen Jakobi
The McCann case
the just umbrella, expresses concern at victim support.
Sponsor Stephen Jakobi, spokesman of the just umbrella, issue the following statement.
“The investigation into the kidnapping of Madeleine McCann is clearly a shambles, and the McCann family deserve better as victims of foreign crime.
When the head of the investigation, publicly berates his country’s legal system for tying his hands it is no use the British ambassador stating that everything possible is being done. It is not. Democracies are capable of emergency procedures to remove obstacles in pursuit of crime. It is unbelievable that if this had been a terrorist offence, Suitable measures were unavailable to the Portuguese authorities.
The first right of a victim of crime is an effective investigation and pursuit of the criminal.”
Age of criminal responsibility
May 4th, 2007 by Stephen Jakobi
The editor the Guardian
Sir,
thinking outside the box on teenage violence
We must be grateful to Sir Ian Blair for commencing a sensible debate on peer pressure and youth crime (Met chief: put gang siblings into care May 3). He he seems to be thinking in the right direction, looking at social welfare solutions to what are currently considered criminal justice problems.
He advocates “thinking outside the box.” But surely it is important to match one’s thinking to the problem was a whole and not just in the context of gang violence. The past seven days have seen reports of a 10-year-old receiving an ASBO in Cleveland, and the opening of an inquest into a 14-year-old, who committed suicide, the youngest person for 25 years, in a” training centre.” presumably a euphemism for prison ( Guardian May 2nd) . It does not require too much imagination to connect up the dots. What happens to disturbed children, even infants, now could result in more tragedies, whether by murder or suicide in the years to come.
The boldest measure, we could do to commence transferring so-called criminal justice problems concerning the young to their proper home is to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 in line with almost all other EU states. This obviously requires a coalition of the many organisations working in this field to exert pressure on a government that seems to be hell-bent on its current approach. “Tough on crime, tough on the appearance of crime.”
I understand that no such coalition currently exists. We exist to promote and support those who would wish to create one.
Stephen Jakobi
Sponsor
victim support for foreigners/age of criminal responsibility
May 1st, 2007 by Stephen Jakobi
Jeremiah Duggan
The compelling case for the inquest on Jeremiah Duggan to be reopened will be presented by lawyers to the Attorney General this week.
An excellent summary of the evidence is to be found in Guardian Unlimited. (The Observer 20th of March 2007)
ASBO for boy of 10
An article in Friday’s Daily Mail reports that a 10-year-old has been given a stringent antisocial behaviour order. The boy named Anthony Bird will be eligible for a custodial sentence. Once he has turned 12. Statistics show that half of ASBOs are breached, and a quarter of all those imposed would appear to result in their custodial sentence. Evidence was given that he was trouble since he was three. The standard of proof is low. Is this a way of dealing with disturbed children?
