Communities have a right to be informed of criminals in their midst

The offender has "done his time" and "paid his debt to society" and "that's how our legal syatem works". These common sayings are a common but ridiculous distortion of the operation of todays legal system.
One of the key reasons for the public loss of trust in our legal system is the almost total absence of this sense that criminals have a debt to pay. The frustration of citizens at the lenient treatment of child molesters is partly fueled by the fact that our legal system treats them much more as victims that need support for the rest of their lives rather than people who owe a moral debt to their society.
Additionally, there are a huge range of situations where a criminal conviction must be communicated to the criminal's "local community". Teachers, lawyers, policemen and anyone who volunteers for any community service where children are present, must reveal their criminal record (not restricted to child sex offences) and be subject to official discrimination for the rest of their lives.
It does not seem in any way inconsistent to ensure that a community is informed of the presence of a criminal from a group where repeat offences are statistically very common.
This latest case is merely an expression of extreme public frustration over the latest mishandling by the legal system of their responsibility to protect the public.


Stephen Digby

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