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Britons Ponder Identity of Young Offenders
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Half of adults in Britain believe it is a bad idea to prevent the media from disclosing the identities of juvenile offenders, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 49 per cent of respondents feel this way.
The issue of whether to reveal the identity of juvenile offenders has been discussed prominently in the British media after Jon Venables was allegedly detained last month for possessing child pornography.
Venables and Robert Thompson were found guilty of the murder of two-year old James Bulger in 1993. Both defendants were aged 10 when they committed the crime. They were released in 2001, but an injunction was imposed on the news media. The new identities and locations of Venables and Thompson cannot be revealed.
The possession of child pornography carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison. However, Venables could face life imprisonment for breaching the terms of his release.
Earlier this month, British justice secretary Jack Straw said the media should be careful when covering issues that are before the courts, saying, "This is not a decision for politicians, but [editors] need to reflect on the consequence of coverage. [They] may achieve the opposite of what they intend to."
Polling Data
Overall, do you think it is a good idea or a bad idea to prevent the media from disclosing the identities of juvenile offenders?
|
A good idea |
33% |
|
A bad idea |
49% |
|
Not sure |
19% |
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,003 British adults, conducted on Mar. 15 and Mar. 16, 2010. Margin of error is 2.2 per cent.
