Sir, - The language in which we describe crime and deviant behaviour has important implications for how we respond to it. Thus the behaviour for which we have been fined by the European Union has been described by the Department of Agriculture as irregularities". It was described in a remarkable phrase by Tommie Gorman on RTE (February 1st) as involving "serious misdemeanours".
These misdemeanours were not committed by unemployed and under educated people from deprived communities. They were not committed by people on temporary release from our prison system nor by people on bail. And they were not committed, to the best of my knowledge anyway by people on drugs.
Yet, the size of the fine - £100 million - that you and me will pay for them is twice the amount that was stolen last year in what we normally understand and describe as criminal behaviour. - Yours, etc.,
Department of Sociology
University College,
Cork.