Our impudent crimes

I found this article in the Guardian very interesting. Apparently (and let's forget, for the moment, lies, damned lies, and statistics), about 85% of people believe that "life should mean life". It's difficult to know what to say about such a thing. On the one hand, it seems rational that this should be the case, but the argument is often that this would leave no incentive for criminals in prison to reform. Do we believe that prison should be merely punitive, or that it should attempt to rehabilitate inmates? My view is that those who commit crimes forfeit their right to be treated as full members of society because they have shown themselves to have no respect for the rules and expectations of society. But even this is too simplistic a view, because it assumes that everyone in a British prison is there justly, and that their crime was committed in the knowledge of the law and with the wilful intention of violating it. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees everyone the right to life, liberty and security of person. Thank God we don't have the fear of the legal ability to deprive individuals of life in Britain. But to put someone in prison is surely to deny them the latter two rights? Is this a case of the greatest good for the greatest number, ensuring the freedoms of the many by incarcerating those who would threaten it? Or is there some other legal or moral way to explain this? I'd be very grateful for answers, if anyone has any...

In other news, I attended the Human Rights Discussion Group in the law faculty here today, and it was absolutely inspiring. The speakers looked at the question of whether cours have the right to overturn legislation on the basis that it denies human rights. I shan't go into the argument, though, as I'd almost certainly make a hash of it!

Goonight...