Madam, - Why has Fine Gael's proposal to have young offenders subject to Army control for a while been rubbished so quickly (eg, Mary Raftery, Opinion, November 23rd)? Is there an agenda at work? I recall that the party's proposals on homeowners' self-defence were also rubbished - by Fintan O'Toole, among others - but they have been borne out by the Law Reform Commission.
Can anyone say that the present system works? Young people are often sent into detention centres that are effectively a sort of university of crime. Surely our respected Defence Forces might be a good example to such miscreants, and they might come out better people and contribute handsomely to society. - Yours, etc,
BRIAN McCAFFREY, Clifton Crescent, Galway.
Madam, - I once overheard the following conversation in a Kerry pub: "If you had a bad donkey and you put it in a meadow of good grass, what would you get?" Reply: "You'd get a bigger donkey."
Similarly, if you get a yob and put him in boot camp. you'll get a bigger yob. Fine Gael is making an ass of itself on this issue. - Yours, etc,
GERARD SCANNELL, Kimmage Road West, Dublin 12.