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Because society only works when there are some values or rules shared by the people. Society only obeys the rule of law as long as there is some consensus that
by nordify 10y ago
Because society only works when there are some values or rules shared by the people.
Society only obeys the rule of law as long as there is some consensus that the law is fair and just. Basic fairness demands that breaking a rule should result in a punishment.
The punishment is only fair if it is proportional to the offense. Therefore prison time should be proportional to the crimes committed.
- abstractbeliefs 10y agoI think the core difference between your views and those of the post you are replying to is that you consider the purpose of the prison system to be _punitive_, whereas the parent considers it's role to be _rehabilitative_. While punishment for crime certainly appeals to our instincts, should we not consider more "humane", and possibly more effective crime reduction measures (rehabilitation over punishment)?
- nordify 10y agoI think you are projecting. The original discussion was about alternatives to three strikes (which explicitly both of us oppose). Notice the lack of value judgement of rehabilitation vs. punishment. Secondly we were discussing the concept of proportionality. I expressed the rationality of society's need for proportional punishment. Notice how I did not present my personal views regarding rehabilitation vs. punishment. So far we have only established that I believe that the punishment for a crime should have an upper bound which is proportional to the offense. Now, whether the purpose of the prison system should be punitive or rehabilitative is another discussion.