Dear All
One of the main issues of the Holyrood election is crime.
Laurence Winters was the first criminal in Scotland to be given a Community Payback Order.
And promptly broke it.
He has a criminal record that goes back 24 years and has 160 recorded offences.
What was not explained is that the 39 year old has no future!
What is the rationale behind Community Payback Orders?
I would say that it is to keep people out of jail, rehabilitate them and pay their debt to society.
Laurence Winters hasn’t a future in society and he knows it, so what is the benefit to him of a community payback order?
Absolutely nothing!
I don’t like the name Community Payback Order; it is in my mind a political title tagged on a judicial sentence.
So, what should it be called?
Rehabilitation Offender Orders!
As I have already said, the idea of the orders is to keep people out of jail, rehabilitate them and pay their debt to society.
But that isn’t enough, we have to try and reinsert them back into society.
Everyone recognises the need to break the cycle of crime for offenders; the cost of jailing people has focussed minds.
After breaking the order Laurence Winters was jailed for 40 days, however, he walked free from court because he had spent 21 on remand while denying the breach.
Sheriff Michael Fletcher said:
"An attempt was made to avoid a custodial sentence by imposing a Community Payback Order. Had I known all of the information, the court would not have imposed that order. Had I known he would have all these difficulties in keeping it, and doing it, I would never have imposed it and would have sentenced him in some other way."
Winters blamed his absence on a heart attack, a road accident and an epileptic fit.
Sheriff Fletcher said:
"The series of events you have described - is that just how you normally live? You expect to be in hospital every two or three days. You were hit by a van and assaulted - is that normal? Or was it just bad luck that fortnight?"
I have met plenty of people like Laurence Winters, I listened to one homeless guy as he described being attacked in the street; the evidence was on his face, ripped apart and stitched up.
He explained someone had hit him in the face with a bottle and someone else tried to cut his throat for nothing.
Some people at the bottom end of society aren’t as lucky as Sheriff Michael Fletcher.
In the next session of Holyrood, the SNP Government should revisit Community Payback Orders.
The new idea should be keep people out of jail, rehabilitate them, pay their debt and reinsert them back into society.
Offenders should be placed in Charities and in local Councils to serve their sentences.
The chain gang mentality doesn’t work.
If anyone is serious about breaking the cycle of offending, then they have to understand that changing the mindset is more important that the physical labour extracted from offenders.
If we want people to be good, we have to offer them the opportunities to do good!
Society failed to turn round Laurence Winters because society didn’t offer him a future.
24 years and 160 recorded offences.
Again, it is time to adopt George Laird radical thinking.
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
19 comments:
what would you do with him?
trust me when i say that he is really trying to turn his life around, he is unfortunately in a relationship with a female (who, for reasons, i choose not to name) that is asking him to steal, lie and break the law in other ways, because he loves her deeply, i will suggest to him that he writes a biography telling of his misfortune. i will get back to anyone who would like more information if you leave a comment on my profile profile referring to mine and some way that i can contact you.
Speaking as a Perth man, I know this individual in question and as of typing this comment, he is still going out with the aforementioned female. After last speaking with him not too long ago, I found him to be completely infatuated with his girlfriend, whom by the way, was a witness at a murder trial of her ex boyfriend, in a love triangle with another man. She turned queens evidence while she was fully committed in Cornton Vale women's prison, to save her own skin, thus leaving one man dead and the other imprisoned for life. Laurence is obligated to do anything she asks of him, e.g., stealing alcohol on a daily basis, and procuring any kind of tablets she requires on any given day. As of writing this, that poor besotted chap still continues to steal at her whim. As long as he is with her, he will never have a life...yours sincerely, someone who knew him years before she came on the scene....
I am the sister in law of laurence winters and ive never met a more kinder thoughtful man he would do anything for anyone and i think its lovely that he loves my sister so much whoever wrote this is intitled to their opinion but you should. ree them together before you spout of
i am the girlfriend of larry you dont know him he is actually a caring loving bloke u do not have a clue bout him
This gentleman is too young to not have a future outside of the ill fated judicial system. Understanding the mind of law breakers, the "whys", is truly the only way to prevent a life away from society. It takes a criminal to know a criminal and all others past judgment blindly. What criminal wants to "pay back society" when they are being judged as hopeless or "have no future." The lack of encouragement, support and empathy with keep this cycle alive and well. The lack of understanding how to communicate and break through to those living lives behind bars will only further confuse those drafting ideas on how decrease this cycle. One does not need to see horse shit to know it's there, it can be smelt before hand. God Bless the misunderstood!
Well I would like to know everything because I am 1 of his 3 kids. I am his oldest some Laurence.
Well I am his oldest son and when I was younger. I never once saw him do a nice thing. And when my gran died. Him and my uncle don declined us to go
I am the son of Lawrence winters and for anyone asking questions of what to do with him. Personally I say lock him up.
I don't mean this in a bad way or nothing but. As for you saying about encouragement etc. his mum (my gran). Was nothing but supportive and he wouldn't be Alive without her. But he needs to be behinds bars forever
Jail end of
Personally I say put him behind bars and I'm his song
During the late Eighties and early nineties, I knew both of the Winters boys (Don and Laurence)
Laurence was under his older brothers spell growing up and both of them had a predisposition for violence but Don was always the main protagonist.
I stayed for a time with them in Stanley and in Perth centre and witnessed some brutal treatment of Laurence by his older brother.
That said, both of them were severely affected as young lads by the loss of their father and this was a major turning point for both of them and a significant contributory factor toward their life of crime.
Laurence Winters had a softer side and I shared some great laughs with him as a person. That he has turned out this way is a real shame as there is a decent human being stuck inside him that has never had the chance to flourish.
To treat him effectively and my knowing the essence of the man, I would suggest removing him from his daily environment and finding him an outdoors sort of life in the Scottish Highlands. I believe Laurence would find some sort of peace with that and in turn become a responsible and contributing member of society.
I hope the legal system in Scotland finds some way to provision this sort of treatment as I am a firm believer in people and their ability to change. Best of luck Laurence.
hi laurence im dawn ur dads partner ur dad is upset u think that your father has been on the straight and narrow for 3 years now we have a lovely home and life together there is not a day goes by he doesnt think of his kids ur mum stopped him he went through to get yous and yous were not there
its got to have been hard for him too bringing up another mans kid i knew his ex who he had kids too lets just say she put it about even went with laurences brother that man loved her he went off the rails when she stooped him seeing the kids
i think personally ur a silly wee boy who needs to know all the facts b4 saying things like that
some son u are
Wow i have seen it all now, this piece of working getting a write up and some severely ill informed people standing up for him.
I was unfortunate to have had a relationship with this scumbag. I was beaten within inches of my life, whilst pregnant all because I wouldn't give him money for drink etc. He battered 10 colours of crap out of me in front of the kids. PS they are all his. He didn't love me if he did he wouldn't have lifted his hands, how can someone kick and punch a woman's belly the day she was due the son that commenting above's due date. Thats not love that is control.
As for him he tries to live up to his father and uncle's name. He will never be them. I never once stopped him from seeing his kids it was the social workers that stopped him when he was caught shop lifting with his 3 yr old daughter in Tesco in Perth while he had her over for a weekend visit. Hand don't forget he was handing the items to her to hide in her jacket. I never once bad mouthed Laurence to my kids he was a great dad when he was sober and I will never take that away from him, but the mental scars my kids have due to watching him beat me etc etc they dont want to see him, i gave them all the choice to see there dad when they were 16 n their words where no chance he doesnt deserve us. His daughgter tried seeing him over n over again when she was 14 to 15 yrs old and he kept letting her down time n time again.
Write a book u say why????? he doesn't deserve a book written about him, doing so will just add to his disbelief that he thinks the Winters name is invincible, he may as well rot in jail its the only place people are safe and him himself being safe.
I wish peple would write about people that do good in this world not those that are a waste of paper, breathe, and ink. This will come as a shocker to my son that has commented on this already as he will know i never bad mouth his dad but when Mr Laird wants to get a better idea of this waste of space then please do contact his past and see what a piece of work he is, stealing his kids money to buy drink leaving me no choice but to steal food, nappies etc just to keep them alive.
am just glad Don grew up and settled down, the only one in that family that actually cares about my kids his nephews n niece.
so please anyone that wants to see the real laurence winters please contact his kids n am dam sure u will get a real book or should i say a leaflet cause thats all that is worth writting about him. as for the girl in his life keep going with ur crap spilling mouth it was partly due to u my daughter didnt see her dad as u wouldnt let him when she travelled all the way to perth to see him. so run up my ribs i kept my mouth shut for long enough .....think al write a book :)
Please give it a break, I put it about hahahaha is that why he cheated on me numerous times once with a 16 year old when he was in his mid 20's. He was barely ever in jail when we were together. Plus we weren't together when I fell pregnant with my middle son, he said he wanted to bring my son up as his own. But all he did was beat me up over 8 plus years, which now I have forgiven him for. May he rest in peace and at the end of the day I know he is watching over his daughter every day.
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