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how often does somebody get prosecuted for stealing from another criminal?

rad_gruchalski 2y ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_Unit... https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police/asset-forfeiture-abuse https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-po... Not often enough, apparently. Not always "criminals". Just suspects...
sa-code 2y ago
How many crimes does one have to commit before they "are a criminal"? If someone broke a law, but the law was later amended so the act is now legal, are they still a criminal? (E.g. cannabis)
- sandworm101 2y ago
  Yes. A town raising a speed limit on a road doesn't mean everyone who ever got a ticket previous to the change wasn't speeding. That's why it takes special laws and acts by executive authorities to take retroactive action, if the deem doing so a good idea.
  - thfuran 2y ago
    So it's good to steal from anyone who has ever exceeded the speed limit, filthy criminals that they are?
    - trimethylpurine 2y ago
      If they were also using software to steal from someone then I would guess that their inertial moment would serve as neither a defense nor detriment to their case.
- ARandomerDude 2y ago
  This is a cute rhetorical trick, but if you can’t see that some people are criminals and some are not, then you are blind.
jeroenhd 2y ago
People do get killed quite often in cases of mistaken identity. Not by the police, usually, but criminal gang wars are not without innocent victims. Criminals do get charged with theft from other criminals. The only benefit to stealing from criminals is that they won't go to the police, but that doesn't mean they won't report you once they get caught. They may even get out if jail earlier by coming clean and listing every criminal they've interacted with.
sandworm101 2y ago
Possession of stolen goods. Possession of cocaine. It doesn't matter where you got it. Criminals also still have property rights. Stealing a car from Bernie Madoff is still stealing a car.
squigz 2y ago
In my experience, this sort of attack will affect non-criminals too - the vast majority of people who will fall for this sort of thing are young people using a family computer or the like.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_forfeiture_in_the_Unit... https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-police/asset-forfeiture-abuse https://www.aclu.org/issues/criminal-law-reform/reforming-po... Not often enough, apparently. Not always "criminals". Just suspects...

sa-code 2y ago

How many crimes does one have to commit before they "are a criminal"? If someone broke a law, but the law was later amended so the act is now legal, are they still a criminal? (E.g. cannabis)

sandworm101 2y ago
Yes. A town raising a speed limit on a road doesn't mean everyone who ever got a ticket previous to the change wasn't speeding. That's why it takes special laws and acts by executive authorities to take retroactive action, if the deem doing so a good idea.
- thfuran 2y ago
  So it's good to steal from anyone who has ever exceeded the speed limit, filthy criminals that they are?
  - trimethylpurine 2y ago
    If they were also using software to steal from someone then I would guess that their inertial moment would serve as neither a defense nor detriment to their case.
ARandomerDude 2y ago
This is a cute rhetorical trick, but if you can’t see that some people are criminals and some are not, then you are blind.

jeroenhd 2y ago

People do get killed quite often in cases of mistaken identity. Not by the police, usually, but criminal gang wars are not without innocent victims. Criminals do get charged with theft from other criminals. The only benefit to stealing from criminals is that they won't go to the police, but that doesn't mean they won't report you once they get caught. They may even get out if jail earlier by coming clean and listing every criminal they've interacted with.

sandworm101 2y ago

Possession of stolen goods. Possession of cocaine. It doesn't matter where you got it. Criminals also still have property rights. Stealing a car from Bernie Madoff is still stealing a car.

squigz 2y ago

In my experience, this sort of attack will affect non-criminals too - the vast majority of people who will fall for this sort of thing are young people using a family computer or the like.