5 ms·

It's still beyond me why we don't just make the penalty for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol 5yrs in prison? Of course, shitty cops will occasio

It's still beyond me why we don't just make the penalty for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol 5yrs in prison? Of course, shitty cops will occasionally coerce someone into a questionable blood test or breathalizer test - they too should be prosecuted and face jailtime. Heck, police officers who "accidentally mute" bodycam audio should go to jail. That said, this is a lazy approach to an easy problem to solve. It's beyond me why idiots still drink and drive even with the advent of uber etc.

tdeck 4y ago
People who are driving drunk are doing so at a time when their judgment is impaired. Driving drunk can get the driver killed, so if that's not enough of a deterrent it seems like the chance of getting caught and sent to prison isn't going to work either.
arghnoname 4y ago
You might be in favor of this and thus, are not being contradictory, but I do just want to point out that this kind of extremely punitive behavior for poor judgement implies a massive expansion of the carceral state if it were to be carried out consistently. If drunk driving gives 5 years, what should armed robbery or unarmed assault, etc, carry? If this harsh treatment were consistent, it would probably lead to much higher rates of incarceration than we had under the now derided tough-on-crime policies that were in vogue in the latter part of the 21st century.
- fiat_fandango 4y ago
  I'm fully of the opinion that murder should merit a life sentence and that any form of aggravated assault committed with a deadly weapon (firearm or otherwise) should carry at least a 10yr sentence. When the punishment is sufficiently great, idiots think twice about making "bad judgement".
tablespoon 4y ago
> It's still beyond me why we don't just make the penalty for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol 5yrs in prison? Because your idea has a shaky premise: it relies on an abstract thoughts ("I could get caught, and I could go to jail") deterring people who in many cases lack the judgement (at the time, at least) to be deterred. After that, all that's left is the idea these people are too dangerous to be free; but that fails on reasonableness (we have a way higher bar for that) and cost grounds.
- fiat_fandango 4y ago
  Look at drunk driving rates in Phoenix AZ - a zero tolerance city. It's substantially lower than many other metros. Again, cops who coerce people to admit to being drunk are a separate issue and should be dealt with. As an adult drinking is a choice. Driving is a choice. If you make the wrong choices you face consequences...

tdeck 4y ago

People who are driving drunk are doing so at a time when their judgment is impaired. Driving drunk can get the driver killed, so if that's not enough of a deterrent it seems like the chance of getting caught and sent to prison isn't going to work either.

arghnoname 4y ago

You might be in favor of this and thus, are not being contradictory, but I do just want to point out that this kind of extremely punitive behavior for poor judgement implies a massive expansion of the carceral state if it were to be carried out consistently. If drunk driving gives 5 years, what should armed robbery or unarmed assault, etc, carry? If this harsh treatment were consistent, it would probably lead to much higher rates of incarceration than we had under the now derided tough-on-crime policies that were in vogue in the latter part of the 21st century.

fiat_fandango 4y ago
I'm fully of the opinion that murder should merit a life sentence and that any form of aggravated assault committed with a deadly weapon (firearm or otherwise) should carry at least a 10yr sentence. When the punishment is sufficiently great, idiots think twice about making "bad judgement".

tablespoon 4y ago

> It's still beyond me why we don't just make the penalty for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol 5yrs in prison? Because your idea has a shaky premise: it relies on an abstract thoughts ("I could get caught, and I could go to jail") deterring people who in many cases lack the judgement (at the time, at least) to be deterred. After that, all that's left is the idea these people are too dangerous to be free; but that fails on reasonableness (we have a way higher bar for that) and cost grounds.

fiat_fandango 4y ago
Look at drunk driving rates in Phoenix AZ - a zero tolerance city. It's substantially lower than many other metros. Again, cops who coerce people to admit to being drunk are a separate issue and should be dealt with. As an adult drinking is a choice. Driving is a choice. If you make the wrong choices you face consequences...