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Once a criminal, always a criminal ?

To say once a criminal, always a criminal, is a wrong notion that makes the entire criminal judicial system a laughing stock in the world;It defies logic;It refuses to acknowledge the human nature to err and make amends for it.

The above statement also negatives mans' evolution from the stage of a rustic nomad to the ultra modern culture of the present day.We

can not say that man once a nomad, always a nomad'.Therefore,unlike animals, human beings alone are capable of innovating and progressing, giving up what is not good for them and refining themselves with what is good for them as well as for the society.

If a person commits a crimes which is punishable under the existing law, we call that person as a criminal.Still that person cannot be branded as criminal unless he or she is habitual and incorrigible in his or her criminal ways and dealings and frequently gets prosecuted and convicted according to law.If a person is not proved guilty beyond reasonable doubt,he or she is acquitted.If a person is proved guilty, he or she is convicted under the existing law, according to the nature or gravity of the crime, he or she has committed.

Again the purpose of convicting a person is two-fold.To teach the person a lesson and make him or her realise or repent for what he or she has done and give him or her a chance to make amends for it.To set an example and teach the whole world that committing a crime invites punishment and therefore they should desist from or refrain from doing it.

A crime is essentially one of degree from simple to grave and the punishment awarded to a criminal also varies according to the gravity of the crime.Similarly the circumstances that force a person from committing a crime also vary from person to person according to his or her social,political and economic background.

By way of illustration we can say, if a person is rendered jobless and wallowing in utter poverty, he or she committs a crime of theft for the first time,by stealing a loaf of bread from a bakery to feed his or her children, but caught red-handed while stealing the loaf of bread.Though it is only a petty crime, the person who commits this crime can not even pay the small amount of fine ordered by the court;Hence, the person is convicted for 10 days of imprisonment.When the person gets released from the prison, he or she gets a job to eke out his livlihood.Thereafter the person leads a peaceful life with an impeccable

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