Vikki Petraitis
I am very much looking forward to my visit to discuss crime and crime writing with the Year 9s. As a topic, crime is so interesting - especially now that there are so many CSI-type shows on TV. Unfortunately, real crime is a lot messier and a lot nastier than anything you see on television (except for really really scary movies with lots of axes or chainsaws). When you are a true-crime writer, you get an insight into what really goes on. I will tell stories about some interesting cases that I’ve written about.
In the meantime, think about the following questions:
What do you think the average sentence for murder is? What should it be? There are a number of countries with harsher penalties for serious crime than Australia. Who is right? Are longer jail terms a deterrent? Whose rights are more important – the victim or the offender?
Vikki Petraitis
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August 7th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
The average sentence for murder is 200 months, or about 16.6 years, 13.3 after “good time”. However, I think it should be the death penalty. The victim’s rights are definitely more important than those of the offender - the offender doesn’t deserve anything if he/she is a murderer.
August 7th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Why are true crime books so popular? One of the most common reference enquiries in public libraries is ‘Where is the true crime section?’ And when you go there, there are rows and rows of books on the subject, which are always really messy. I wonder why that is? Is it because, as they say, truth is stranger than fiction?
August 7th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
I don’t believe in the death penalty. It doesn’t change anything - it’s just a form of revenge, and another crime. And I think going to jail is probably a worse punishment than death.
August 8th, 2009 at 12:58 am
I once told a prison guard in Texas that I didn’t believe in the death penalty because there was no evidence it was a deterrent. He said to me, ‘But the guy who’s put to death won’t do it again.’ He had a valid point. Interestingly, I’ve interviewed people who have had family members murdered and some wish we had the death penalty and others are still against it.
August 13th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
great experience