I think that whoever is responsible for deciding whether, or when, such offenders are let back into society should somehow bear some responsibility for whatever happens as a consequence of their decision. They might be more careful about it then.

I believe Thompson and Venables should have been kept in secure care until they were 18 then sentenced as adults with a complete understanding of what they had done and the full consequences of their actions.

Mary Bell might well be a rehabilitated balanced human being for all I know, but no-one actually knows that for certain. I doubt if anyone here would be comfortable about employing her as a child minder.