Criminally irresponsible think tank

Another stupid think tank with yet more unworkable suggestions the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies wants the age of criminal responsibility raised form it's current level possibly as high as 18. Well this is one way of reducing the crime figures, arbitrarily declare that any crime committed by somebody up to the middle of the period of peak criminality is in fact not a crime. Brilliant! This will help that statistics no end, just a shame about the people being mugged.

They also recommend getting rid of ASBOs. I agree that ASBOs should be got rid of, but because people should not be able to be thrown into prison due to gossip about things which aren't a crime. Not because some of the people that they are used against happen to be below a certain age. Having removed the societies penalties for anti-social behaviour there has to be some other penalty or there are no disincentives to it at all. The real solution would be not more central control but letting society once again deal with anti-social behaviour and the Police, as Peel put it,

at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence

which might allow the Police to do what they are supposed to:

The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder

rather than their modern mission to raise the maximum money for government while placating the the public with some soundbites and headlines about crime occasionally.


Source: Criminal careers up to age 50 and life success up to age 48: new findings from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development

UPDATE

Pommygranate has a summary of what Richard Garside and the the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies are really about
, concluding that he is is the kind of person that has had no real job but loves to see his name in print. Unfortunately for us his quick headline to fuel is own narcism could well end up as policy nightmare for the rest of us.