On Oct 30, 11:15*am, Mr Thant
wrote:
On 30 Oct, 10:14, MIG wrote:

If they are thought to be evading their fare, they should be
prosecuted full stop. *Lesser on-the-spot fines, penalty fares etc are
all inappropriate in every situation.

They've tried that and found it costs thousands of pounds per case and
doesn't have a high conviction rate. Also I don't think there's much
public support for doing so, and certainly the press have a field day
each time a case comes up (well, at least if the offender is white,
middle class and has a good sob story).

But if there's a low conviction rate when someone gets a proper
hearing in court, is that really an argument for punishment without
trial?

I can't remember any sob stories about people found guilty in court
though. The press stories are usually about people being hassled for
extra money on trains. It's demanding money on the spot rather than
prosecution that leads to press stories.

Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. Because we have been
unsuccessful at dealing with scumbags through proper legal processes,
we punish a different bunch of people without a fair hearing.