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I agree, in context. If she's purposely stolen years and years from others' lives, she needs to be held accountable for each and every instance. And the idea th

by sejje 13y ago

I agree, in context. If she's purposely stolen years and years from others' lives, she needs to be held accountable for each and every instance. And the idea that this happened in a laboratory doesn't make it any milder...this is, in my opinion, far worse than most violent crimes. I think the time served should be very long, given that most of our violent crimes have very long terms. That said, I think we need to revisit very long terms. I don't know the answers, but I think that taking decades for seconds of rage, etc, can be extremely harsh. I hope we can amend this system, or eliminate the need for it, someday. To me, I'm equally or even more scared of prosecutors that have the power to destroy my life as I am of thugs on the street that have that power. It's far scarier in cases like this, where they only risk a slap on the wrist balanced against absolutely destroying lives. I literally cannot imagine losing years in prison, when you have so few already.

malandrew 13y ago
"... she needs to be held accountable for each and every instance." Accountability is nice, but let's not lose sight of the bigger picture here which is a sharp correction of the system that not only allowed her to carry on for years, but more than likely actively encouraged her. Personally, instead of having her serve a 100 year jail sentence, I would have no problem letting get a jail sentence of 1 year if it meant that everyone else complicit in these crimes also got 1 year of jail. Spreading it among all those responsible is a much bigger deterrent than throwing one person under the bus. Going to jail for a serious crime you are guilty of is a lottery. It is a much more effective deterrent when being found guilty and spending time in jail is a likely event when a crime actually occurs."
- sejje 13y ago
  Can't agree more. I think they should all be held accountable, no doubt, and I don't think that was lost in the discussion here on HN, thankfully. I personally find it more contemptible the more power those involved have. This chemist likely felt pressure from her higher-ups. No excuse for her, but disgusting of them to exert their power in that manner. I hadn't thought much about your last sentence before, but it's very valid. It's a lottery because you're not always caught (and then in some cases, white-collar-crime, you're likely to get a slap on the wrist). I imagine that most criminals are dumb enough to convince themselves they won't be caught, making their odds to "win" seem even higher. I think crime & punishment is such a complex problem, and our current system is barely passable, and has incredible room for improvement. I just don't want to be the answers guy, because I don't know how to improve it, and the risks are high.

by sejje 13y ago

malandrew 13y ago

"... she needs to be held accountable for each and every instance." Accountability is nice, but let's not lose sight of the bigger picture here which is a sharp correction of the system that not only allowed her to carry on for years, but more than likely actively encouraged her. Personally, instead of having her serve a 100 year jail sentence, I would have no problem letting get a jail sentence of 1 year if it meant that everyone else complicit in these crimes also got 1 year of jail. Spreading it among all those responsible is a much bigger deterrent than throwing one person under the bus. Going to jail for a serious crime you are guilty of is a lottery. It is a much more effective deterrent when being found guilty and spending time in jail is a likely event when a crime actually occurs."

sejje 13y ago
Can't agree more. I think they should all be held accountable, no doubt, and I don't think that was lost in the discussion here on HN, thankfully. I personally find it more contemptible the more power those involved have. This chemist likely felt pressure from her higher-ups. No excuse for her, but disgusting of them to exert their power in that manner. I hadn't thought much about your last sentence before, but it's very valid. It's a lottery because you're not always caught (and then in some cases, white-collar-crime, you're likely to get a slap on the wrist). I imagine that most criminals are dumb enough to convince themselves they won't be caught, making their odds to "win" seem even higher. I think crime & punishment is such a complex problem, and our current system is barely passable, and has incredible room for improvement. I just don't want to be the answers guy, because I don't know how to improve it, and the risks are high.