4 ms·
There are many crimes for which you can go to jail even though you are not a dangerous person.
by gst 15y ago
There are many crimes for which you can go to jail even though you are not a dangerous person.
- ma2rten 15y ago... especially in the US
- dsmithn 15y agoYes, but crimes that have the potential to benefit people without hurting anyone else?
- gst 15y agoSome of them - not all. Just look at all those drug-related laws.
- wisty 15y agoDrugs still hurt people. DOSing a library doesn't. Obviously that depends on which drugs and how many, and maybe the laws are a little "one-size-fits-all" here.
- moonlighter 15y agoIt is just me, or does a 35 year old prison term sound CRAZY? Never mind the proposed monetary fine... the punishment just doesn't seem to fit the crime. It's outrageous. To put things into perspective... - Swartz, 24, faces 35 years in prison and a $1 million fine under the indictment. - Anders Breivik killed at least 76 people, and the maximum punishment under Norwegian law is 21 years (albeit with the option to extend it for 5 years each after that). Who committed the bigger and more serious crime here??
- smallblacksun 15y agoIts a false comparison due to different legal systems. In the US Breivik would be facing multiple life sentences or the death penalty.
- burgerbrain 15y agoAnd all of those are instances of unjust punishment.
- tedunangst 15y agoI'm reminded of the Boston Legal episode where the defendant kills his mother and they argue that he's not a danger to society because he only had one mother and is therefore not going to repeat his crime. More seriously, I'm not sure if I should interpret your statement to mean that white collar criminals are dangerous or that they should never go to jail.
- burgerbrain 15y agoSomeone mentally unhinged enough to kill his own mother clearly is a danger to society though, unless there was a strong case that she deserved it. In that case, sure. No sense in putting him in physical harms way by putting him in jail. Imprisonment as a punishment is a horrendously barbaric concept, particularly considering the current state of the American prison system. White collar criminals, or any color collar, if not a physical danger to society, should never be sent into those hellholes. Prisons should be used solely for isolation. People like Charles Manson clearly need to be detained. Treatment, where deemed possible and necessary, should be done in proper medical facilities. People who don't need treatment and are not a danger to society should be in neither. If their crimes are financial, punish them financially. Strip them of their assets and garnish their wages. It works for deadbeat parents (who I absolutely oppose putting into prisons).
- nkassis 15y agoI agree with this. I think better ways could be found for them to repay their debt to society. It would be cheaper also.