To want the "Peru Two" to stay in Peru?

[QueenOfConeyIsland]

I honestly don't know if IABU to want them to serve the whole of their sentence in Peru and not part of the UK?

They knew what they were doing and knew the risks. It would deter some people from doing in the future too.

But on the other hand they are young girls just starting to live their life and are going to have pretty much all of their 20s taken away from them.

I'm quite conflicted.

[FortyDoorsToNowhere]

I think it acts as a severe warning to those who think that is a good idea to smuggle drugs into any country.

[MrsTerrysChocolateOrange]

I think people get a bit of empathy failure. They did something stupid, criminal and very risky. They have been sentenced to almost 7 years. I have spent a few days inside in a few different countries (never for any nefarious reason) and it is horrible. Smells, noisy, there is a feeling of dread and tension, everyone is watching their back all the time, you can't make any choices at all, no quiet, no family, no comfort. Most of the people will have PDs, or LDs, or MH, certainly addictions so people's reactions are hard to gauge. There is the constant threat of violence or riots.

7 minutes is a long time inside, 7 years is an eternity.

[DirtyThree]

I get that it's process and I don't necessarily disagree with it but I do definitely see some logic in a "when in Rome" approach. If you think a country has bad prisons with shit conditions, don't break the law there.

And I also don't get the "they are our problem" view... They were living abroad and then committed a crime elsewhere. Sure it sucks for the overseas authorities to have to fund a prisoner but surely nationality is irrelevant?? I'm just not sure I can go with the "yes but they're British and are way to civilised to be holed up in such a god-awful filthy forrin place". Seriously, what makes them exempt from that compared to a Peruvian??

[ChanelTunel]

Let them stay in Peru for,say, 5 years,then bring them home once their 'celeb' status has waned.

[QueenOfConeyIsland]

They are our problem and we should help get them back on the right path. I believe the penal system should be about rehabilitation as well as punishment

How can you rehabilitate them? They saw a get rich quick scheme and decided to do despite knowing the risks.

Rehabilitation is for drug users, murderers etc.

[MrsTerrysChocolateOrange]

Rehabilitation is for drug users, murderers etc. Huh? IME working with ex-offenders the least needful people of rehabilitation in the truest sense are murderers. They almost never re-offend. I think it might have the lowest recidivism rate of any crime.

[QueenOfConeyIsland]

I would just let them go free actually. We all make mistakes and its not like they killed anyone. They took a chance to make some money, it didn't pay off. They have already spent a substantial time in a Peruvian jail, let that be the end of it

I hope that's a joke too.

Substantial time already? I don't think so.

Most cases set a precedent for the next case. If you were caught as a drug mule and would only get 5 months then there be a huge increase in smuggling.

I'm sorry but you do hold a rather naive view.

[QueenOfConeyIsland]

Well I was just using that as an example Mrsterry

I was just trying to make the point that these girls don't need to be rehabilitated. They were caught smuggling drugs - aside from that they seem like normal every girls in their 20s.

[DirtyThree]

Agree queen.. Rehabilitation (oh and how is that funded??) for shit-decision makers? Yes we all do some foolish things when we're young and most of the time thats done with a brazen attitude knowing the potential repercussions and hoping/expecting to get away with it. I suspect they did the same.

Made your bed? Lie in it.

[CMP69]

Stupid/greedy drug traffickers let them rot
Simple!

[MrsTerrysChocolateOrange]

So you think prison (punishments in general) serve a solely deterrent role? It is not about the offenders chance of re-offending, rather 'pour encourager les autres'. There is some interesting theory about this. Broadly prison or flogging or the death sentence all serve one of a few purposes.

Punishment (revenge)
Deterrent (to stop the public's recidivism)
Rehabilitation (to stop the offender's recidivism)

[Lottapianos]

Zippey, I agree with you actually. I think jail should be reserved for violent criminals. These two young women were incredibly stupid but I can't see how this hideous punishment fits their crime

[theywillgrowup]

i knew the one's that thought they were not guilty now think they should be back in the UK and their treatment is in humane

thank god they got caught and hopefully will serve their sentence there and never hear anymore about them

[DirtyThree]

The fact of it is that was the law in Peru. Each country has rules, you choose to obide by them - or not.

I don't think that the sole purpose of a punishment is about being a deterrent at all and I suspect I'm just going to be viewed as harsh but why should the authorities shoulder s

[neunundneunzigluftballons]

I think there is still a possibility that the made a guilty plea because not making one would have made things worse I still believe that it is possible that they were coerced. This may not have been to the extent they suggested but still might have influenced their behaviour. God I am naïve amn't I?

[DirtyThree]

... Some responsibility for making life easier for these girls when they brought it on themselves. When did they take responsibility???

[theywillgrowup]

jail should be reserved for violent criminals

what the jeff do you think class A drugs cause,death,violence,prostitution etc etc

thats exactly what these girls were helping to enable if they had managed to get the drugs smuggled in

[MrsTerrysChocolateOrange]

Because Dirty prison is someone we as a society have agreed is allowed, even though it would normally be wrong to lock someone up, in the case of crime. Once you cause someone to have their liberty removed, take away their right to self determination, they ARE your responsibility. Pretty much by definition. They may have committed a crime but they are still human beings. As such, and as citizens of their countries, they have human and legal rights. It someone can lose them, anyone can.

[MrsTerrysChocolateOrange]

So does chocolate theywillgrowup and we all eat fair trade, right?

[zippey]

Lottapianos - I agree that prison should be predominantly for violent offenders.

I wonder if there was the same "string 'em up" mentality when alcohol was banned in the prohibition days.

I think 2/3 years is long enough. I think its easy to forget that these are real people who will be blighted by this for a long time. My view would also be shaped by their previous convictions, of which I don't think they have any (Im guessing)

There's also lots of evidence to suggest that harsh prison sentences do not provide deterrence.

Harsh sentences should only be used for crimes where the public need to be protected - an example being violent criminals.

Why use it on a couple of stupid opportunists?