Despite mounting pressure from the media on Justice Secretary Jack Straw, he has stated in the House of Commons that the reasons behind Jon Venables’ recent return to prison will remain secret.

For those not familiar with Venables’ crime, I won’t repeat the horrific details here, but point you to the relevant Wikipedia article.

The ‘outcry’ from the newspapers has been based around the notion that it is in the “public interest” that we know the full details surround the reason why Venables has been returned to prison. As novelist Will Self stated on BBC’s Question Time programme last week, the act that caused him to break the terms of his licence could have been a very minor transgression. It could be something as minor as a speeding offence.

He also stated that there is a difference between the “public interest” and “public curiosity”. This case certainly falls into the latter category. Whatever Venables did seventeen years ago has little or no bearing on his actions now. We all still like to think of him as the evil child we saw in those mug shots, or in those chilling CCTV pictures as he led Bulger out of the shopping centre where he was taken from.

If we believe in the ability in offenders to be rehabilitated back into society, we must learn to let go of the crimes of times past. It may be impossible to forgive his crimes, and I certainly wouldn’t begrudge anyone for saying so, but if his identity is compromised the inevitable lynch mob will dispense vigilante justice. Is that something that we could be proud of?