WHAT WE ARE DOING IS WRONG
"There is a tradition block here against accepting people who have been convicted of crimes back into society.
"There should perhaps be a campaign to encourage social acceptance of such people.
"It is certainly true to say that many Chinese employers have refused to give employment to persons who have been con- victed of crimes.
"It is worse than useless that at the end of a prison sentence a young offender is simply released without some employment for him to go to.
"It is in the interest of the community to rehabilitate such people and find employment for them on release from prison.
"The Commissioner of Prisons has recently advocated a very good system of parole . . . in addition to the one third remission a prisoner earns for good conduct.
“A socially re-integrated convicted offender must surely be worth more to society in the long run than an over sentenced bitter, moral wreck.
"Until public opinion is ready to accept re-integration into society as the ultimate purpose of punishment
the momen-
tum of anti-social attitude will simply be increased and the task of halting and preventing crime will become more impeded.”
he said.
The current anti-crime campaign is not the best way to spend money to fight crime, according to Sir Ivo Rigby.
"The money being spent on propaganda might be used to get more policemen and put them on the beat.
"I can well understand the fear of the poor person living in a resettlement estate of theft and violence and also the cir cumstances for them putting pressure on to get drastic action against offenders.
"It is not the severity of sentence which will eradicate these offenders but the certainty of being found out and brought to
court.
"If you had more policemen, if you had more police stations and posts and had policemen patrolling in sight of these residents in uniform then you might give them that sense of security and confidence they so much need.
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WHAT WE ARE DOING IS WRONG
"What is the use of campaigning through the media unless you have got the policemen to give the residents that sense of security.
"Quite obviously with that sense of confidence and security you are going to overcome their apathy and get their co-operation and assistance.
Sir Ivo also did not approve of the preventive detention and mandatory sentences that have come along with the campaign in the shape of new Bills.
"Preventive detention has been tried in Britain and was abolished because the judges rejected it in principle."
"Also it is always for a court to decide on the particular facts and circumstances of each case and decide what the appro- priate penalty should be.
"For my part, with utmost respect, I deprecate the inter- ference by the legislature with the traditional powers of discre- tion hitherto vested in the trial court."
- reprinted from The Star (Hong Kong) May 25, 1973.
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