3 ms·
Should someone that dreads prison (say, they are physically weak, or have an anxiety disorder) be given less prison time than someone who is more comfortable th
by hnracer 6y ago
Should someone that dreads prison (say, they are physically weak, or have an anxiety disorder) be given less prison time than someone who is more comfortable there? I think we all recognize that this would be unjust, and I think the same reasoning applies to financial penalties.
If a poorer person (say, someone that works 6 hours a day at Walmart) and a richer person (say, someone that works 12 hours a day at Walmart) both steal $10,000 from someone, they have both caused the same amount of damage to the harmed individual. That is, they caused $10,000+moral damages (let's say $20,000 total damage). Why should the person that slaved harder and provided more value to society fork out more when they caused the same damage as a poorer person? If anything, the poorer person should pay more as recompense for being less useful to their fellow humans and broader society in aggregate. Of course money isn't the perfect proxy for societal value add but it's the best we have, especially in the context of a strong rule of law which will punish fraud etc.
- tux1968 6y agoIt's not about justice, it's about pragmatic deterrents.