Criminals should pay restitution not taxpayers

Letter to the Editor

When a person causes deliberate damage to property, public, commercial or neighborhood, or deliberately damages the local park, sporting club, council property, your car or local shop, they are held accountable by law and police action is taken and can be ordered by a court to pay for the damages. So, why aren’t there mandatory laws for restoration from criminal acts?

When a criminal act causes massive damages to properties, vehicles or wherever, why aren’t restitution costs made compulsory by courts as a punishment deterrent against criminal behavior, where these costs stand for life until repaid. These costs should be commensurate to the value of the basic wage where they serve jail time at that value until the cost of the damage they caused is fully repaid.

The current system stupidly and wrongly places the cost penalty on insurance companies, who then transfer the cost to every citizen via higher premiums. The reality is all criminal damages have become a penalty upon the people who are forced to pay for the damages done — that they are innocent of causing.

Something has gone seriously and stupidly wrong with politicians allowing and approving laws that are protecting the criminals from any responsibility whatsoever. Politicians and their laws are protecting and encouraging criminal destruction of our property, there is no other way to view this.

World expert Criminologists have said for decades that leniency in sentencing is a reward to criminals, who then encouraged by lenient rewards continue their activity.

Sincerely

G J May

Forestdale 4118

Source: https://cairnsnews.org