Apparently not...
There are many complications within the English law, such as murder many feel there should be a death penalty and look at an ideas of "and eye for an eye" others feel the sentence of life should be life, not 30 years. Some say they should have the chance to go back in society to and have support they need in order to try and reform. But the crime that has really got me at the moment, is the law surrounding joint enterprise.
Joint enterprise is a legal concept that has come into the spotlight in recent years. Offences of violence involving groups of young people has increased, so therefore the law on joint enterprise has increasingly been used by the police in the hope of obtaining convictions of the group even though only one person may have actually committed the offence.
Senior judges and the Law Commission have already expressed concern about the way that joint enterprise is being used in modern times. While this law may be reformed in the coming years, it has been in effect for 300 years, and is not going to change any time soon.
The most famous case of Joint enterprise is of Derek Bentley. Bentley was sentenced to death on 11 December for killing Pc Miles during a bungled break-in at a warehouse in Croydon, Surrey.
There are many complications within the English law, such as murder many feel there should be a death penalty and look at an ideas of "and eye for an eye" others feel the sentence of life should be life, not 30 years. Some say they should have the chance to go back in society to and have support they need in order to try and reform. But the crime that has really got me at the moment, is the law surrounding joint enterprise.
Joint enterprise is a legal concept that has come into the spotlight in recent years. Offences of violence involving groups of young people has increased, so therefore the law on joint enterprise has increasingly been used by the police in the hope of obtaining convictions of the group even though only one person may have actually committed the offence.
Senior judges and the Law Commission have already expressed concern about the way that joint enterprise is being used in modern times. While this law may be reformed in the coming years, it has been in effect for 300 years, and is not going to change any time soon.
The most famous case of Joint enterprise is of Derek Bentley. Bentley was sentenced to death on 11 December for killing Pc Miles during a bungled break-in at a warehouse in Croydon, Surrey.
The court was told his co-defendant, Christopher Craig, fired the fatal shot but because he was still a juvenile in the eyes of the law he escaped the death sentence. However under the crimes of joint enterprise Bentley was sentenced to death, whereas the actual killer Christopher Craig escaped the death sentence and served 10 years until he could walk free. Is that fair and just?
But what did this mean, was Bentley provoking the murder of Pc Miles, or trying to prevent it?
The crime of joint enterprise, is one that is continuing to rise in the UK and more and more convictions are occurring, but is it fair that if you don't kill someone and you were just there you can be charged with murder too? Should the law be loosened and if this happened would the amount of gang violence increase? Is the law too strict upon this area?
I feel it is, yes you were there at the time and you could of stopped a murder from happening, but what about the rules on omissions. In this country there is no obligation for you stop and help people. If I was walking down the road and I was a qualified lifeguard and I watched a person drown in a river, knowing full well I could save them and simply walked by, I have no criminal liability as I have no due to act. If you see someone dying in the street millions of people could just walk past and do nothing knowing full well they could prevent it. So why should young people in gang's be able to convicted in being at the scene of the crime and being an involvement in murder. When society ignores the same issues as well, surely they are doing the same thing, being oblivious to the fact. I understand that joint enterprise at lot worse and should be they should be criminal liable, as many young people are involved in carrying weapons, but if you don't physically kill someone, why should you serve a lifetime sentence for being with the wrong person at the wrong time.
http://in-lay-mans-terms.blogspot.com/2012/02/i-thought-english-law-was-about-justice.html
