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If corporations are people, then how come they don't get locked up for clear criminal violations? I break the law in a criminal manner and I get to pay a fine

If corporations are people, then how come they don't get locked up for clear criminal violations? I break the law in a criminal manner and I get to pay a fine and get sent to jail for a period of time. Corporations break the law which affect people ten thousand fold worse than I could ever do it and they just pay a fraction of their ill-gotten profits. Seems to me that if corporations were in danger of losing damned near everything for being in criminal violation of the law that their boards and chairmen might be less inclined to break said laws. At least that's what people who are for the death penalty as a deterrent would have me believe.

jokethrowaway 5y ago
When your justice system is paid off by the oligarchy, the justice system will not punish the oligarchy. It's a slap on the wrist as well. Centralisation of power is to blame. A (more) honest justice system with independent judges could make sure the company can't trade for X years and / or pay significantly more, proportional to the damage caused. If they don't their reputation should suffer.
akhmatova 5y ago
If corporations are people, then how come they don't get locked up for clear criminal violations? Because the society you live in is predicated on a giant scam, basically.
Eddy_Viscosity2 5y ago
Because the entire purpose of corporations is limited liability. So people can commit crimes or just do terrible things without having to face consequences because 'the corporation did it'.
- widjit 5y ago
  I would like to see corporations that commit manslaughter dissolved. Threat to human life should be an existential risk.
  - Eddy_Viscosity2 5y ago
    There are cases where corporations should be given the 'death penalty' (disolve the corporation), but these should be rare. But in all cases where crimes happen, it is because actual human beings committed them, knew about them, and/or aided in them. Those people should be punished: financially (fines), professionally (fired and barred from working in that field or role, particularly CEOs and other leaders), and criminally (jail) in proportion to the crime they participated in. This isn't complicated nor is it even controversial. Problem is that corporations have so much power that they can subvert the system to be sure none of the above ever happen.
  - missedthecue 5y ago
    If a CSX freight train hits a car on the tracks, killing the driver, the entire company and the tens of thousands of people who get their paycheck there should all cease? That seems like a massive waste of everything.
    - jokethrowaway 5y ago
      I wouldn't say so. This sounds like an accident and I don't think there was intent. If there was intent I would also say it's intent on the part of the driver (pending a mental health examination) and not on part of the company. If the company instructed the driver to hit a car on the tracks they would be a criminal organisation and they should cease to exist. In the case of GSK they committed fraud by lying to their customers. It's not intentionally killing someone but it's definitely endangering lives and it should cost more than 3B
    - MisterBastahrd 5y ago
      There's a difference between human error and a criminal campaign to defraud people. GSK should not exist anymore in its current form. It should have been chopped into bits and sold for spare parts.
      - missedthecue 5y ago
        But the parent comment said manslaughter. Killing another human in a traffic accident is manslaughter.
- belter 5y ago
  The limited liability of corporations is not on crime, only on financials claims corresponding to the assets of the company, so that the personal assets of a company owner are not on the line for creditors claims. :-) Otherwise, managers of a company, could do criminal activities like for example commercialize medical products for one purpose, but that were not medically approved for what they are being sold for and face no time in jail, just financial penalties...No...hold on..wait a minute!!

jokethrowaway 5y ago

When your justice system is paid off by the oligarchy, the justice system will not punish the oligarchy. It's a slap on the wrist as well. Centralisation of power is to blame. A (more) honest justice system with independent judges could make sure the company can't trade for X years and / or pay significantly more, proportional to the damage caused. If they don't their reputation should suffer.

akhmatova 5y ago

If corporations are people, then how come they don't get locked up for clear criminal violations? Because the society you live in is predicated on a giant scam, basically.

Eddy_Viscosity2 5y ago

Because the entire purpose of corporations is limited liability. So people can commit crimes or just do terrible things without having to face consequences because 'the corporation did it'.

widjit 5y ago
I would like to see corporations that commit manslaughter dissolved. Threat to human life should be an existential risk.
- Eddy_Viscosity2 5y ago
  There are cases where corporations should be given the 'death penalty' (disolve the corporation), but these should be rare. But in all cases where crimes happen, it is because actual human beings committed them, knew about them, and/or aided in them. Those people should be punished: financially (fines), professionally (fired and barred from working in that field or role, particularly CEOs and other leaders), and criminally (jail) in proportion to the crime they participated in. This isn't complicated nor is it even controversial. Problem is that corporations have so much power that they can subvert the system to be sure none of the above ever happen.
- missedthecue 5y ago
  If a CSX freight train hits a car on the tracks, killing the driver, the entire company and the tens of thousands of people who get their paycheck there should all cease? That seems like a massive waste of everything.
  - jokethrowaway 5y ago
    I wouldn't say so. This sounds like an accident and I don't think there was intent. If there was intent I would also say it's intent on the part of the driver (pending a mental health examination) and not on part of the company. If the company instructed the driver to hit a car on the tracks they would be a criminal organisation and they should cease to exist. In the case of GSK they committed fraud by lying to their customers. It's not intentionally killing someone but it's definitely endangering lives and it should cost more than 3B
  - MisterBastahrd 5y ago
    There's a difference between human error and a criminal campaign to defraud people. GSK should not exist anymore in its current form. It should have been chopped into bits and sold for spare parts.
    - missedthecue 5y ago
      But the parent comment said manslaughter. Killing another human in a traffic accident is manslaughter.
belter 5y ago
The limited liability of corporations is not on crime, only on financials claims corresponding to the assets of the company, so that the personal assets of a company owner are not on the line for creditors claims. :-) Otherwise, managers of a company, could do criminal activities like for example commercialize medical products for one purpose, but that were not medically approved for what they are being sold for and face no time in jail, just financial penalties...No...hold on..wait a minute!!