Crime and Punishment

The life sentence handed down to Craig Roy - for the brutal murder of schoolboy Jack Frew - states that he has to serve a minimum of 18 years in prison - as the 'punishment' part of his sentence.

After the 18 years is up Craig Roy can apply to be released on parole - and if that request is granted he will be released back intro the community on licence and under certain conditions.

If a convicted murderer goes on to breach the conditions of his/her release - he/she can be arrested and returned to jail to serve out the remainder of the original sentence.

But I can't be the only person who thinks that this punishment business sounds like a bit like an early release scheme for most convicted murderers - that a life sentence doesn't really mean for life - except under the most extraordinary circumstances.

Which seems strange to me.

Because as someone who has never supported the death penalty for murder - I do believe that the normal punishment for someone who wilfully takes another person's life - ought to be that they spend the rest of their day's in jail.

Whereas Craig Roy is likely to be released - unless someone tells me differently - before his 40th birthday.

Which means that while he may have paid a high price for stabbing a former friend to death - in a cold blooded premeditated attack - he will probably get out of jail with half hi life ahead of him.

And that doesn't seen right.

The same thing happened recently - with the prison sentences handed down to two of the gang that murdered Stephen Lawrence - in a racially motivated attack in London in 1993.

Gary Dobson and David Norris were given 15 years and 14 years respectively as the punishment part of their life sentences - because of their young age at the time of the murder.

As if their murderous attack on a defenceless Stephen Lawrence - was the kind of foolishness that many young people get caught up in at a certain age. 

Yet the two grown men have lied about their part in the terrible crime since 1993 - and are still sheltering the other gang members who took part.


So I wonder a criminal justice system that appears to be letting murderers - literally get away with murder in so many cases. 

Not that I'm a lock them up an throw away the key kind of person - I think that people can change and show remorse for their heinous crimes - even murder.

Jimmy Boyle, for example, seemed to me to be a very different person on his release  for murder - and after spending most of his life in jail.

So I would like to know what is happening - how long is the average punishment part of life sentences these days - and how long does the average murderer spend in prison once that part of their sentence is up.

To my mind the public has a right to know what's going on - and the Scottish Parliament should be debating the underlying issues - if the punishment for murder really is going to do justice to the crime.