Prison or deportation for criminal asylum seekers?

[naomi24]

An asylum seeker has been sentenced to 11 years for keeping a woman prisoner and raping her five times. If this man is a genuine asylum seeker who sought refuge here because he feared for his life in his own country, would deportation be a more effective sentence than a term in prison?

[Theland]

Just imagine if your question was put to the electorate in a referendum.
Now, what do you think the answer would be?

[flip-flop]

Yes. Deportation every time (but there must be a way of ensuring the **** isn't allowed back in).

[naomi24]

Would a strict policy of "one strike and you're out" deter them from committing crime in the first place?

[Theland]

I think it would. Good subject to write about to your MP

[Oneeyedvic]

I so love people who claim to be Christians but who can't forgive.

Would Jesus be turning in His grave (if He had one)?

To answer the question, no, I don't think it is appropriate that he is sent back to his country - it would be tantamount to a death sentance.

If you did this, then you really ought to carry out the same thing to all people - asylum seekers, immigrants and people born in this country.

On the other hand, after his prison sentance, if he committed another crime of a similar ilk, then I would be happy with capital punishment - but I think it ought to be carried out in this country, not his country of origin.

[shineybomb]

Send him back - 11 years is nothing, he'll be out in less and do it again. Why should we pay for him to be kept in prision with satelite TV and 3 meals a day. There were a lot less crimes in Victorian days because people were actually scared of going to prison.

[gina32]

he feared for his life, oh what a shame so we put up with the scumbag inflicting pain on someone in this country, and then pay to keep him warm and fed for x amount of years, kick him out!

[naomi24]

My sentiments exactly, Shineybob and Gina.

And Oneeyedvic, he chose to commit the crime, so why should we concern ourselves with his fate, and why give him another chance to hurt someone else? Victims of crime, or potential victims of crime should be our main concern, not people who take refuge in this country and then abuse us.

[Oneeyedvic]

Personally, I see where he came from as an irrelevance. I believe that he should be treated in exactly the same way as if he was indiginous.

The argument about the sentance and the conditions of prison is a completely seperate issue (and maybe 11 years is not enough)

[Fingerprint]

I agree with Oneeyedvic, this person should recieve the same punishment as a British person who committing the same crime. If you prepared to send this person back to their counrtry of origin where they will most likely be killed you should also be prepared to kill a British person committing the crime.

It's very easy and knee jerk to make the argument of why should we pay for him to be locked up in a cushy prison, he has abused his welcome here, lets send him home. But surely we should show more humanity and try to be better than that.

[gina32]

fingerprint, why should we? im sure you wouldnt win that arguemnet with the poor female he did it to

[naomi24]

Why should be be treated the same as anyone else oneeyedvic? He's come here claiming that his life is in danger in his own country - and although one would imagine he'd be pretty relieved to be here, he's clearly not since he's chosen to break the law Additionally (and no doubt someone will correct me here if I'm wrong), I assume he doesn't work because asylum seekers as far as I know are not allowed to work. Therefore up until now he has lived on the taxpayer and has contributed absolutely nothing to our society, but he will be taken care of in prison - again at the taxpayers' expense - and will be given every consideration by those who apparently care little for his victim, and feel that he deserves a second chance. Can't help wondering what his sentence - or prison conditions - would have been if he'd have committed a similar crime in his own country.

[naomi24]

If he committed the crime, fingerprint, and the 'one strike and you're out' rule applied, then he would be the author of his own misfortune and would have to take the consequences of his actions. If that were the case, then I doubt the crime would have been committed in the first place.

[gina32]

well said naomi

[Oneeyedvic]

So you think that someone would happily take the risk of going to prison for a maximum of life (and despite rumours to the contrary, rape prisoners will go to a category A prison where there is not satellite tv, playstations in every room etc) but they wouldn't take the risk of being sent back to their own country?

Not sure that's true - they have the death sentence in many states in America - do they have no crime?

As a deterrence, I don't think it will work.

In which case, we are purely talking about retribution.

[Fingerprint]

Gina, you asked why we should treat this person with humanity - because we are a civilised country, a world leading democracy that have the responsibility of setting an example to the rest of the world.

Naomi makes the argument - consider what would happen if he did this in his own country, but your missing the point that we have to be better than that, why would you want us to go down to the same levels of brutality as the countries asylum seekers are fleeing from?

If an unemployed British person had committed this crime, someone who had never worked or contributed to our society then would you be in favour of them being killed aswell?

[sp1814]

Fingerprint raises an interesting point there...I've never thought about it that way...

Should we have different levels of punishment based on someone's national background?

Should there be sliding scale...for instance, what about the children of asylum seekers? If they grow up to become criminals, should we send them halfway back?

[mariner2]

There's always some "clever" person who posts a really useful answr like this - alright mate, lets have it YOUR way - let 'em all in, criminals and all, when they commit crimes give them a slap on the wrist then let them all out to do it again, don't ever send the poor little dears back to where they came from in case in infringes their "human" rights.