Cops force thief to eat 40 bananas

[Terrell]

Maybe detectives should feed him the matching earrings..without the backs.

Nope, the courts should sentence him to jail time for his crime. The police role isn't to inflict punishment, their job is to capture the criminals, and gather evidence against the perp.

Heh. I was being facetious.

There are places in the world that one could expect much more severe punishment for this type of crime than eating some fruit, and without 'due process'.

Yeah, I know that other parts of the world do it differently than we do, but it's barbaric to do such a thing. While I do think that criminals deserve punishment, what separates us from the less civilized places on this Earth, is due process of law. Proving a person is guilty before inflicting punishment upon them, and punishment that doesn't cross the line into physical abuse of the convicted. Besides if we condone physical abuse of criminals, how are we, morally any better than them? I say try them, convict them, and send them to jail/prison for an apropraite amount of time based on their offenses.

[Derek Ortt]

that is not torture

it concerns me how some are valuing the rights of criminals more than the rights of the victims. If I had something stolen, I'd want it back yesterday, not when the crook was good and ready to give it to me

[Terrell]

that is not torture

it concerns me how some are valuing the rights of criminals more than the rights of the victims. If I had something stolen, I'd want it back yesterday, not when the crook was good and ready to give it to me

I think it's concerning that you think it's okay to physically abuse a criminal. (exactly how are you better than him if you condone such a thing? Physical abuse IS a crime, regardless of the circumstances in which you do it, and it's a worse crime than petty theft) I think that anyone that is accused of a crime has some rights. Due process of law is one of them. I don't think that even being the victim of a crime, gives you the right to demand that the crook in this case take laxatives (or their natural equivalent) so you can get your item back sooner. If the item was somewhere else other than inside his body, I wouldn't have a problem with taking it back as soon as it's found, but I don't support making him take laxatives or undergo surgery so you can get your item back sooner. You'll just have to wait. until it comes out on it's own. (though I doubt you would want it after it went through a digestive tract, given the contents of said tract)

I disagree with your charactization that those of us who oppose the abuse of criminals think that the rights of a criminal are greater than a victim. We just don't think that a victim has a right to decide his punishment, given that they would be biased in their opinions/actions. Such a bias should be unwelcome in matters of criminal justice. What happens should be decided by the facts of the case, and the apropriate laws. The victim's feelings on said matter are irrelevant as to what the apropriate punishment is.

[Ptarmigan]

I don't know if I want it back now........................