Should Jon Venables the killer of James Bolger identity released..............

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Permalink Reply by LYNETTE on March 6, 2010 at 2:08pm

No, he was only a child when he committed the atrocious crime and by the looks of it, he has not been well looked after or rehabilitated since. I dn't want to know his name - what would be the point? Nor more details than came out at the time.

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Permalink Reply by Laura S on March 7, 2010 at 10:25am

its so good to read that all of us are of a similar mind on this subject, unlike the trash media here in UK. I would hate us to become like authoritarian systems in other parts of the world, which are also guilty of multiple, unmerciful acts of injustice. Our system is far from perfect but I would rather we err on the side of mercy than punitive. AND put increasingly better help into place for victims.

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Permalink Reply by Martin Peter Clarke on March 7, 2010 at 4:44pm

It's not soft or real enough. The Scandinavians wouldn't have jailed Venables in the first place let alone lied about his identity. Why did we?

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Permalink Reply by Peter Lumsden on March 8, 2010 at 10:16pm

This is such a relief. Today I got a facebook 'baloon', entitled "JUSTICE FOR JAMES BOLGER". The initial posting of that 'thread' was to the effect that they shoul dnever be released, adn the key should be thrown away. It has lalready had nearly 30,000 'like this' responses, and now over 6,000 comments posted. The vast majority are along the lines, of 'scum, little shits, c***ts, etc etc, they should be / have been tortured / strung up / electrocuted.....'. Interestingly there was quite a lot of quoting of old testament 'eye for an eye' stuff. I was REALLY chilled by this tide of hatred. I do not know what our system does by way of rehabilitation, but that is a separate issue from how we respond in our hearts.

What is the Christian response? I guess that somewhere it comes down to forgiveness.....

In this particular case, how would we define 'justice'???

Peter L

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Permalink Reply by Martin Peter Clarke on March 15, 2010 at 1:39am

This is England. We don't - thank God - have judicial executions. Even though I agree IN THEORY that such monsters are better off dead for Jesus to heal. I agree with ALL of the sentiments FOR capital punishment. Which is WHY I oppose it.

Monsters VERY rarely are healed in this life, find repentance, understanding, insight sufficient to make them socially redeemable. And NO risk can be taken with them. Psychopaths (have you noticed the term has disappeared from psychiatry?) just incorporate kindness in to their predatory techniques. So they MUST endure incarceration and treatment at the citizen's GREAT expense until they are harmless one way or the other.

Unsatisfactory ALL round but AND therefore I feel INFINITELY better than the alternative.

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Permalink Reply by Laura S on March 15, 2010 at 9:40am

I also think we shouldn't execute...but we hold different views re eternity Martin (tho if you are right, its nicer!)

I think there is healing, having known gangsters, 'evil' people, BUT its the quality of discipleship, LONG lost as a practice in our Church imo. The gospel, when understood is powerful to deliver causing a lost soul to leave his old nature in the grave and continually embrace being a new creation by the power of the Holy Spirit. The old can be DEAD its wickedness having no more power over a person...this is the miracle of the gospel.

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Permalink Reply by Martin Peter Clarke on March 9, 2010 at 1:07am

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2000/oct/30/bulger.simonhattenstone

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Permalink Reply by LYNETTE on March 13, 2010 at 5:45pm

No!!!!!
This boy was a child when he committed the heinous murder of Jamie Bulger. His name should not have been made known then.

During the several years this boy was incarcerated I would have thought great effort would have been put into his rehabilitation. Obviously not. The system stinks.

I pose another question - why does anyone want to know this boy's name? What good is it going to do? Who is it going to help?

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Permalink Reply by PhilipH on March 15, 2010 at 10:16am

"Should Jon Venables the killer of James Bolger identity released.............."

I think for such cases in the future, the question is largely academic. The names will leak out one way or another, and given the speed and anonymity of spread of information on the Internet, the information will be available to anyone who wants to know, and far beyond the reach of any court. In the case of the Bulger killer who has been rearrested, his chances of remaining anonymous for long are negligible. I think the likes of Lady Butler Sloss and those who think anonymity for young criminals will stilll work have yet to wake up to this reality, but it is with us already.

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