to think the Jon Venables program on bbc 1 now is unnecessary and disgusting.

[bristolcities]

I realise the point of the program is to find out why Jon returned to jail but the interviews and graphic descriptions are unnecessary and disturbing. It seems like voyeurism at it's worst.

Do people not think it is possible that Jon became institutionalized and maybe the crime he committed after being released was to assure he went straight back to prison? It was a terrible offense but not comparable. Was any of that explored and like I asked earlier were there childhoods explained?

Like several other posters, I have worked with young offenders in secure units as well as those who are secured on welfare grounds. All I'd add to the discussion is that no child who has committed any crime is going to emerge from this environment eight years later a better person. Abnormal psychology only becomes more so in these places, a lot of education about working the system, not so much around becoming a member of society.

It's a terrifically hard issue, and obviously everyone adult (parent or non-parent) thinks about James Bulger's murder with complete revulsion.

But it's true that RT and JV were only young children themselves at the time, and also true (as disclosed at their trial) that their lives were marked by abuse. This is not to EXCUSE what they did, but I agree with those here who have said if we don't try to understand what they did, how are we going to prevent other 10-year-olds from doing the same?

I don't know what the answer is. If we did know, we could prevent all such crimes ever happening again.

I do know that JV reoffended, of course - though not by murdering another person - but RT hasn't reoffended, I think? So - maybe prison/rehabilitation worked in RT's case? (Not that I want to minimise the fact that JV did commit another crime.)

Someone here said "the americans do this punishment malarky better than we do". But even the Americans don't have capital punishment or life imprisonment for 10-year-olds.

And Mary Bell killed two little boys, served 10-15 years in prison (I think) and has been a free woman for many years, without so much as a parking ticket to her name since she was released (as far as I know).

I don't know. Of course it is all horrible, and I am sure that if I was James' mother I would just want to hunt down those boys and kill them. But I really don't think that children are born evil - sometimes their lives are just perverted by those who should care for them.

Agree 100% Princess