4 ms·

It sounds like this guy never committed another crime (except to keep his identity hidden), and was a productive member of society for decades. If so, then wha

It sounds like this guy never committed another crime (except to keep his identity hidden), and was a productive member of society for decades. If so, then what was the point of locking him up for 5 years? Who did that help? I think the inability to just disappear has a lot to do with increasing recidivism. If you can't wipe your record clean, and are always going to be tarnished, then why bother following the rules?

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
cpncrunch 9y ago
>If so, then what was the point of locking him up for 5 years? Who did that help? If someone can get away with a huge robbery and not suffer any consequences, that completely undermines the justice system.
- stouset 9y ago
  The purpose of the justice system shouldn't be to exact retribution — it should be to rehabilitate. It's not about consequences, it's about putting people back on the right track.
  - dzdt 9y ago
    Let me guess just based on these posts (no peeking at user pages) : capncrunch is American while stouset is European.
    - linkregister 9y ago
      stouset would probably have a different viewpoint if they were the victim of a robbery, while capncrunch would have a different viewpoint if they had been imprisoned or knew someone who was.
      - cpncrunch 9y ago
        Perhaps, but I don't think so. If I was fairly copped for robbing someone, I wouldn't expect to get let off.
      - stouset 9y ago
        I have been the victim of a robbery. And I have a close family member who just started a 6.5 year sentence in federal prison. My current views were formed before the events leading up to this (and before the robbery). I also recognize that arguing for political change based on n=1 sample size and personal experience is an horrible way to approach problems at a state, city, or country level.
    - cpncrunch 9y ago
      Nope. And it shouldn't matter.
    - stouset 9y ago
      American, sorry!
  - cpncrunch 9y ago
    > It's not about consequences, it's about putting people back on the right track. No, it's about more than just that. People have a built-in sense of justice [1], which needs to be addressed, otherwise it will cause a lot of social problems. Also, the justice system is there to try to deter people from doing crimes in the first place. [1] https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10239-sense-of-justice-discovered-in-the-brain/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10239-sense-of-justic...
    - p49k 9y ago
      The reason our society has advanced as it has in the first place is because we have defied many of our built-in human tendencies and replaced them with logical constructs. This is no different.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

cpncrunch 9y ago

>If so, then what was the point of locking him up for 5 years? Who did that help? If someone can get away with a huge robbery and not suffer any consequences, that completely undermines the justice system.

stouset 9y ago
The purpose of the justice system shouldn't be to exact retribution — it should be to rehabilitate. It's not about consequences, it's about putting people back on the right track.
- dzdt 9y ago
  Let me guess just based on these posts (no peeking at user pages) : capncrunch is American while stouset is European.
  - linkregister 9y ago
    stouset would probably have a different viewpoint if they were the victim of a robbery, while capncrunch would have a different viewpoint if they had been imprisoned or knew someone who was.
    - cpncrunch 9y ago
      Perhaps, but I don't think so. If I was fairly copped for robbing someone, I wouldn't expect to get let off.
    - stouset 9y ago
      I have been the victim of a robbery. And I have a close family member who just started a 6.5 year sentence in federal prison. My current views were formed before the events leading up to this (and before the robbery). I also recognize that arguing for political change based on n=1 sample size and personal experience is an horrible way to approach problems at a state, city, or country level.
  - cpncrunch 9y ago
    Nope. And it shouldn't matter.
  - stouset 9y ago
    American, sorry!
- cpncrunch 9y ago
  > It's not about consequences, it's about putting people back on the right track. No, it's about more than just that. People have a built-in sense of justice [1], which needs to be addressed, otherwise it will cause a lot of social problems. Also, the justice system is there to try to deter people from doing crimes in the first place. [1] https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10239-sense-of-justice-discovered-in-the-brain/ https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10239-sense-of-justic...
  - p49k 9y ago
    The reason our society has advanced as it has in the first place is because we have defied many of our built-in human tendencies and replaced them with logical constructs. This is no different.