3 ms·
It's kinda funny how the both the criticisms of the punishment as being too strict and too lenient are being constructed from the same left-leaning perspective.
by esoterica 6y ago
It's kinda funny how the both the criticisms of the punishment as being too strict and too lenient are being constructed from the same left-leaning perspective.
1. It's inequitable that white collar criminals face lower sentences than blue collar criminals despite the nominal values involved being way higher
2. It's inequitable that people are being threatened with years in prison for non-violent property crimes against mega corporations.
- ch4s3 6y agoI think there are a few different angles here for it being too strict. 1. There's are large elements of randomness and bias in our legal system which make it incredibly uncertain if someone will go to jail for a crime they commit, and sentences are given at times months to years after a crime is committed. This means long sentences provide only marginally more disincentive than a shorter sentence. 2. It is incredibly expensive to imprison people, so we should aim to keep people jailed for the smallest amount of time necessary to protect society and/or deter crime. 3. It is simply inhumane to put any non-violent person in jail for a quarter century. 4. Corporatism incentivizes this kind of crime and society should address the root of the problem rather than focus on people who respond to the perverse incentives of systems we live in.