They still need to be punished,if only as a sign to discourage others from following the same path.
Also they must never be in a position to do such a hideous crime again.This will mean in effect a 'complete' life tarrif.
However does this mean we shouldn't use compassion in our actions with them? I think we should.We claim to be a compassionate caring christian type society.Well then if we don't practice that then how can we expect others to behave that way?
The media is dictating justice here,even before the full facts have been presented in court.Patience is needed if we are to rise above the 'lynch mob' mentality,and learn from the tragic mistakes seen here.

"vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord"..

I'm a great believer in 'karma'. When someone does something really bad to me I initially want to strike back-but then I think they are probably doing similar things to others who do strike back. That's been my experience all my life.

Our parents called it "what goes around comes around".

Likewise if you treat people with kindness it will eventually have a better result than treating them badly.

I believe we must have laws and a form of punishment even though I'm very wary of those whose job it is to implement this process. Imagine no laws on the road-it would be chaos.

It's difficult to fathom what sort of punishment is suitable for BabyP's killers (afterall.nothing will bring back Baby P.)but that punishment should be constructive otherwise what is the use ?. Society may have vengeance but how does that help anyone, considering the vast sums of money it costs to jail people ?.

If we just jail people without helping them it's a waste of time and resources.

Even worse, when people are eventually released from jail and they haven't been educated as to where and why they went wrong, we risk creating future victims if we haven't changed their way of thinking.

Thus, by seeking vengeance only, we are part of a vicous cycle of repeat criminal activity and we are involved in creating future victims.

Finland gives an example of how constructive 'punishment' works. When someone is jailed for a crime ( excluding murder or serious sexual assaults which are treated differently) they are given every opportunity to create a new life for themslves. Psychologists and professionals work with criminals on how to leave jail with a new positive career and outlook. eg :A jailed person can work on a business venture and even set-up a business whilst in jail and begin working in that business towards the end of their sentence.

It works as re-offending rates are way lower than most of the western world.