Greece is not alone in suffering from budget cuts arising from the era of austerity. In the UK, local councils, libraries, museums – all public services have been cut. Criminal Justice has not escaped this cost-cutting. The consequence has been fewer police officers on the streets, less money for legal aid lawyers, and closures of Magistrates courts.
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By Susan Easton
In the wake of the recent riots, much attention has been given to the causes of the riots but an issue now at the forefront of press and public concern is the level of punishment being meted out to those convicted of riot-related offences. Reports of first offenders being convicted and imprisoned for thefts of items of small value have raised questions about the purposes of sentencing, the problems of giving exemplary sentences and of inconsistency, as well as the issue of political pressure on sentencers.
By Victor Tadros
When an offender commits a crime most of us think that the state is justified, and perhaps also required, to punish him or her. But punishment causes offenders a great deal of harm, it costs a lot of money, and it not only harms offenders, it also harms their family and friends. What could possibly justify doing these things?
A Merciless Place is a story lost to history for over two hundred years; a dirty secret of failure, fatal misjudgement and desperate measures which the British Empire chose to forget almost as soon as it was over.
Which works better, the carrot or the stick? Children learn early that behaviors have consequences.
Too much reward and too little punishment creates a spoiled brat. Too much punishment and not enough reward and they end up with poor boundaries and a tolerance for abuse or they become rigid and a bully. The people surrounding the antagonist are usually one or the other. They can also surround the protagonist. This can be a mild factor in a family dynamic or the dynamic between a mob boss and his cronies.
A child may ask for a cookie. If mom says no, he might cry. This ploy might work or it might result in having to sit time out for five minutes. A child learns to read the people around him and use the methods that work to get what he wants. Characters in your story are the same. People generally do things only if they work. If something stops working for them, they change tactics. Your protagonist will use a variety of methods to gain what he needs. When his tactics don’t work, he is forced to change them until he finds one that does.
If Jane asks Dick to do something and it is within the realm of what he is willing or able to do, or if it will give him a payoff of some kind (the pleasure of Jane’s company, the pleasure of an activity they both enjoy), Dick will agree immediately. They will continue to talk about it, plan for it or commit to a date for it. Dick may have a busy schedule and have to check his calendar or see how much his budget will tolerate. However, his immediate response will be positive: “I’d love to. Let me check my calendar and we’ll go from there.” And he does check and gets back to Jane within a day or so.
When Dick truly, consciously or subconsciously, does not want to do something, he will make outlandish excuses and the justifications fly. Dick will squirm and hedge. He will say things like “Can’t afford it” or “Don’t have time right now.” However, Dick’s excuse is patently false. He really does not want to fulfill the request. He is hesitant to come right out and say so for fear of hurting Jane’s feelings, inconveniencing her, or making himself look or feel bad. The list of justifications will expand and mutate as Jane points out flaws in his logic by saying things like, “but we can afford it” or “I’ll pay for it.” Dick will be driven to even more flights of fancy to excuse his reluctance. These conversations rarely end well.
When Jane asks Dick to do something he does not want to do, his body stiffens. His thoughts skid. It takes a few seconds to come up with a justification. If Dick is an introvert, he might do this if you ask him to speak in public. If he is an extrovert, he might do this if it sounds confining, restrictive or boring.
Dick will do this whenever he does not want to go somewhere, meet someone, engage in an unpleasant activity or spend time with a person he dislikes. It isn’t politically correct to say, “I don’t want to go because I loathe your brother.” He may be completely unaware that his internal resistance is because he hates Jane’s brother. Instead of analyzing his reaction, Dick will simply
If you're new to In Search of Giants, you might not know that the one feature I manage weekly is "Amusing Monday" - attempts at light-hearted week-beginning-ness. Alas, you will need to wait another week to revel in a brand-new Amusing Monday post. There will be no amusement today.
For, you see, I
have been punished. By the Queen of Punishment herself,
McKoala. I seriously am going to try not to enjoy it too much. You know me and whips. Wait, you don't? Um....moving on.
Here is the first part of my punishment:
Dear All
I have failed the Mighty Koala. I said I would write 5000 words in a day. I didn't. Now she has generously offered me the opportunity to redeem myself by meeting that total in a week. She is all kindness and loving. I will post my start date here so that you can all follow my progress. And she says there had better be progress, or else...
Aerin
(The red is meant to represent the blood I will shed over the next seven days.)
So, my faithful and encouraging followers, I begin today, June 22, and march diligently toward Sunday June 28, at which time I will have completed an additional 5000 words. And in case you think the Koala is being too easy on me, keep in mind that prior to last weekend, my daily wordcount averaged 112.
Also, be on the lookout for JJdeGoblin. She's pulling people's toenails and I don't think she's going to care whose feet she gets.
By: KatherineS,
on 8/28/2015
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By: Diana Hurwitz,
on 4/8/2011
By: Aerin,
on 6/22/2009
Wow, an additional 5000 words? You can do it. I have faith in you.
What you too - being pounded by the Koala? I'm beginning to think you and Janey are into a bit of S&M!!!
Good luck with the word count!
Sometimes all it takes is a little *cough*torture*cough* encouragement to get the wheels turning. In no time at all, Nathan Bransford will be blogging about this amazing new MS he just acquired that riffs on the Tower of Babel.
Good luck!!
I hope you make lots of words!
Now we know! :D :D
Aherm, first things first, hope you are feeling all well now. You'll need all your strength to face the wrath of McKoala. :)
May the force be with you young one.
Well, I sure as hell find this amusing. :) Good luck, sweetie!
Go Aerin!
*clacks the toe-nail pincers*
...or else. MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
The best of luck! Will we be able to view your progress here?
I'm watching you...
I think it's amusing, too. Oh not the writing of 5000 words, but the way you have dealt with the punishment of the dreaded Koala.
I'm rooting for you (and avoiding those pincers).
I'm sorry but that's a bit harsh on account of you were only a day late getting your 5000 words done... Then again you did ask for it...
Enjoy the torture.
You do like writing don't you?