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-   -   The Law: Sentences too light. (https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=218671)

curiousnathan May 14th, 2010 4:27 PM

The Law: Sentences too light.
 
I have been thinking that people who are doing horrible crimes/things are getting light sentences of 2-3 years in Jail. People who kidnap children for themelves. (You know what I mean) should get life imprisonment. ect.
What are your thoughts on this?

Melody May 14th, 2010 4:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Curious. (Post 5800119)
I have been thinking that people who are doing horrible crimes/things are getting light sentences of 2-3 years in Jail. People who kidnap children for themelves. (You know what I mean) should get life imprisonment. ect.
What are your thoughts on this?

I strongly disagree. It really has to boil down to a situation by situation assessment of what the intent of the criminal was. With that being said, 20 years for kidnapping is cruel and unusual punishment anyways...What if say, the father who lost custody of the child kidnapped his kid? Does it make the crime unforgivable because he did it out of love? In my opinion it does not.

Now if someone does REAL harm to another person, it's a different story, like say a burglar who breaks into a house then rapes the resident of the house. It's these kinds of multiple offenses which often deserve harsh punishment and closer to maximum penalties. This is why we have Judges who sentence criminals. If someone is sincerely sorry for what they did, or if they did it for an understandable reason, they shouldn't be kept in jail for longer than 5-10 years depending on the level of harm caused by the crime.

Jammy-182 May 15th, 2010 3:21 PM

I think people should realise that the sentences people are given are not just to punish but to rehabilitate! I believe it was Gandhi who said "an eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind." I think sentences shouldn't be given in years etc but on how the person changes. although many people disagree.

.Gamer May 15th, 2010 4:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jammy-182 (Post 5801477)
I think people should realise that the sentences people are given are not just to punish but to rehabilitate! I believe it was Gandhi who said "an eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind." I think sentences shouldn't be given in years etc but on how the person changes. although many people disagree.

People don't change. In the short term they do, but in the long term, people are always the same.


Imo, the punishment should fit the crime. Child molesters are just as bad as murderers, and to some people its worse. Minor crimes should be given lighter sentences, such as stealing should just be a few months to a few years. Repeat offenders should get more time, since obviously they aren't learning. This one guy in Oklahoma or Nebraska or something like that only got 4 months or something ridiculous for raping a small 7 year old girl. I'm sorry, but in no way shape or form is that a just punishment. This girl is scarred for the rest of her life and will probably have to go to therapy, while this guy can roam the streets free??! He should be put in jail for a hell of a lot longer than that. For crimes such as murder the punishment should always be death, I don't give a crap what Gandhi said, the family who lost one (or more) members of their family has to greive over that and can never have them back, the same should happen to said murderer's family.

EDIT: I found the article: clicky. I was wrong, it was in Vermont, he got 60 days for raping a 6 year old girl.

Aureol May 15th, 2010 5:36 PM

I'm always on the fence for these issues :\ On the one hand, people deserve to suffer for the crimes they do, especially against women and children (sorry, no offense intended, I'm a bit old-fashioned in thinking that men are a bit more expendable). On the other hand though, everyone deserves another chance. The biggest issue isn't fitting the punishment to the crime: it's finding out if the person will change or not. Most people don't change, so they should be dealt to without mercy. But what about those that would change? We can't just let them rot forever. But, if we're too light, we're just allowing potential criminals to cause much more harm.

It's a big mess to me :(

Yusshin May 15th, 2010 5:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by .Gamer (Post 5801731)
EDIT: I found the article: clicky. I was wrong, it was in Vermont, he got 60 days for raping a 6 year old girl.

That's outrageous. Really.

I think rapists, child molestors, and murderers deserve the chair :| They've got psychological problems that will haunt not just them, but the society who knows about them forever.

Nothing worse than killing a human, traumatizing a human for life, or destroying another human's psychology freely like that. It's disgusting. Why should another human live after destroying someone else's life / killing someone / killing someone psychologically?

There's no "out of love" thing there; that's just purely wrong. Unless murdering someone is in self-defence, it's wrong. If it's vengeance, it's still wrong.

FreakyLocz14 May 15th, 2010 7:04 PM

The United States has the most Draconian sentences in the Western world. I'm not saying that as an opinion, it's a proven statistic.

The problem is people are easily swayed whenever politicians suggest to increase sentencing and criminalize more activities. This simple-mindedness is why our prisons are overflowing and we pay way more on prisons than on education.

People who have commited crimes don't need to be given free lodging, three free meals a day, and free healthcare on the taxpayer dollar but since we must we should actually make the time as minimal as possible.

People seem to forget it costs money to keep a person behind bars. If there are alternative sentencing options avaliable like probation, rehabilitaion, traffic school, formal warnings or lower fines/sentences for first-time minor offenders (infractions and non-serious misdemeanors), etc. These approaches are aimed at rehabiliation.

I'm not vouching for criminals. I actually support speeding up the appeals process so people who are condemned are executed quicker. Appeals courts should hear these cases before any others. Victimless crimes and petty offenses should carry the lowest penalties which may only be fines or less than 1 month in a county jail.

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided that it is cruel and unusual punishment to execute rapists because "the punishment is not proportionate to the crime." see: Coker v. Georgia

Yusshin May 15th, 2010 7:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreakyLocz14 (Post 5802216)
The United States has the most Draconian sentences in the Western world. I'm not saying that as an opinion, it's a proven statistic.

The problem is people are easily swayed whenever politicians suggest to increase sentencing and criminalize more activities. This simple-mindedness is why our prisons are overflowing and we pay way more on prisons than on education.

People who have commited crimes don't need to be given free lodging, three free meals a day, and free healthcare on the taxpayer dollar but since we must we should actually make the time as minimal as possible.

People seem to forget it costs money to keep a person behind bars. If there are alternative sentencing options avaliable like probation, rehabilitaion, traffic school, formal warnings or lower fines/sentences for first-time minor offenders (infractions and non-serious misdemeanors), etc. These approaches are aimed at rehabiliation.

Chair the worst of 'em, as mentioned above. That'd cut the cost by at least a third lol :P

FreakyLocz14 May 15th, 2010 7:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yusshin (Post 5802245)

Chair the worst of 'em, as mentioned above. That'd cut the cost by at least a third lol :P

If we didn't allow them all these appeals and "super" due-process that the Supreme mandates be given condemned inmates then yes it would. Unfortunately it actually costs more. During the appeals process they are housed in the prison in a special section called Death Row. There appeals are usually heard all the way up to their state's Supreme Court because many states mandate their Supreme Court and all lower courts review death penalty cases. Many of them will also be reviewed by some federal court due to habeas corpus petitions.

Look at that guy who requested the firing squad in Utah, he was sentenced in the 80's and is barely going to be executed in 2010.

Yusshin May 15th, 2010 7:32 PM

Lame :< if it were simpler, it'd be a solution lol

shookie May 15th, 2010 7:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by .Gamer (Post 5801731)
EDIT: I found the article: clicky. I was wrong, it was in Vermont, he got 60 days for raping a 6 year old girl.

That's absolutely disgusting, and that judge needs to be thrown off the bench.

Quote:

It really has to boil down to a situation by situation assessment of what the intent of the criminal was. With that being said, 20 years for kidnapping is cruel and unusual punishment anyways...What if say, the father who lost custody of the child kidnapped his kid? Does it make the crime unforgivable because he did it out of love? In my opinion it does not.
I agree with this, except for the last part. In most cases one parent loses custody for a valid reason, whether it's abuse or unsafe living standards or what have you. What if that same parent was somebody who had problems with alcohol or anger? Kidnapping is kidnapping even if you're biologically related to the victim(s).

FreakyLocz14 May 15th, 2010 10:16 PM

Also in most states one cannot be in a jail for longer than 1 year. Felonies punishable by 1+ years get sent to state prisons, not jails.

ANARCHit3cht May 16th, 2010 10:41 AM

I think that a lot of people get too much time for trivial crimes, and not enough for serious ones. 60 days for rape? Honestly? That is horrible. I know someone who got a little over half of that for a DUI. So... that just proves that it is way too little time.

FreakyLocz14 May 16th, 2010 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Narcissus Secret (Post 5804393)
I think that a lot of people get too much time for trivial crimes, and not enough for serious ones. 60 days for rape? Honestly? That is horrible. I know someone who got a little over half of that for a DUI. So... that just proves that it is way too little time.

It could have been stautory rape.
In California statutory rape is a felony when the victim and offender are more than 3 years apart in age and a misdemeanor when they are 3 years close in age. So if it was a misdemeanor, the offender woul have gotten 1 year max.

Fox♠ May 16th, 2010 2:54 PM

Personally I'm still for sending them all to Australia.

shookie May 16th, 2010 3:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FreakyLocz14 (Post 5804803)
It could have been stautory rape.
In California statutory rape is a felony when the victim and offender are more than 3 years apart in age and a misdemeanor when they are 3 years close in age. So if it was a misdemeanor, the offender woul have gotten 1 year max.

The case in question is in Vermont, and there is absolutely no way it was statutory rape. The suspect was 34 at the time of his sentencing, and he abused the girl from when she was seven until she was ten years old. You're looking at an age gap of a good 20 years.

Timbjerr May 16th, 2010 3:54 PM

In my experience, I know people who get sentences that are too harsh.

I know someone who was found guilty of solicitation of a minor (it was a 17-year-old girl...over an online chatroom), and he got sentenced to five years. I can understand such a sentence if the two actually met, and the offender actually got down to the business of raep, but nope...it was just solicitation. >_>

FreakyLocz14 May 16th, 2010 5:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shookie (Post 5805185)
The case in question is in Vermont, and there is absolutely no way it was statutory rape. The suspect was 34 at the time of his sentencing, and he abused the girl from when she was seven until she was ten years old. You're looking at an age gap of a good 20 years.

In that cases I'd say 15 to life that seems about right.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fox♠ (Post 5805164)
Personally I'm still for sending them all to Australia.

Sending people to Australia might actually be a reward depending on where they come from.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timbjerr (Post 5805372)
In my experience, I know people who get sentences that are too harsh.

I know someone who was found guilty of solicitation of a minor (it was a 17-year-old girl...over an online chatroom), and he got sentenced to five years. I can understand such a sentence if the two actually met, and the offender actually got down to the business of raep, but nope...it was just solicitation. >_>

That is too harsh imo. 6 months tops. (I don't know the details of the case so I'm saying that generally.)

rickyisgreat May 16th, 2010 8:40 PM

I personally hate rapists. they should get executed. thats just wrong to do something like that

Guillermo May 16th, 2010 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yusshin (Post 5801955)


That's outrageous. Really.

I think rapists, child molestors, and murderers deserve the chair :| They've got psychological problems that will haunt not just them, but the society who knows about them forever.

Nothing worse than killing a human, traumatizing a human for life, or destroying another human's psychology freely like that. It's disgusting. Why should another human live after destroying someone else's life / killing someone / killing someone psychologically?

There's no "out of love" thing there; that's just purely wrong. Unless murdering someone is in self-defence, it's wrong. If it's vengeance, it's still wrong.

What? The chair? Are you joking? Rape is a big thing, yes, it deserves a big sentence, yes, but in no way should their life be taken for something like that. If I was raped I would rather see the person who committed the crime rot in jail than have the chair.

Yay, let's send all the bad people to Australia so we can suffer!!!!!

Personally, I think the sentences some people get are far too small but then on the other hand there are other people who get sentences far too large.

Fox♠ May 16th, 2010 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guillermo (Post 5806650)
Yay, let's send all the bad people to Australia so we can suffer!!!!!

In fairness, we used Aus as a prison island for a long time and you guys turned out pretty ok, ironic really because America turned out a mess and that was supposed to be a new land.

Guillermo May 16th, 2010 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fox♠ (Post 5806658)
In fairness, we used Aus as a prison island for a long time and you guys turned out pretty ok, ironic really because America turned out a mess and that was supposed to be a new land.

Yeah, I know where you're coming from, Matt, but I don't see how sending people to Australia will change their attitude, or how it's even a punishment. I mean, Australia sucks, but I can see a lot of people breaking the law for a permanent residence over here.

ily matt <3

sumeet109 May 18th, 2010 12:24 PM

Instead of letting murderers and rapists rot in jail, we should work them to death or near death in labour camps.

Rich Boy Rob May 19th, 2010 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumeet109 (Post 5809959)
Instead of letting murderers and rapists rot in jail, we should work them to death or near death in labour camps.

I take it you have no concept of Human Rights or the abolition of slavery. I mean working someone to death for no money with no choice is the definition of guess what? Slavery. In fact it's worse than that, a slave can be treated with reasonable dignity in some cases. With what you're suggesting you are just killing them for profit.

But anyway I agree with the current sentences for crimes (in England at least). But 60 days for rape of a child? That's madness.

sumeet109 May 19th, 2010 10:39 AM

Quote:

I take it you have no concept of Human Rights or the abolition of slavery.
Yes I do.

Quote:

I mean working someone to death for no money with no choice is the definition of guess what? Slavery.
You're given a choice. Don't want to die in a labour camp? Then don't rape or kill people, unless it's out of self defense or something.

Quote:

In fact it's worse than that, a slave can be treated with reasonable dignity in some cases. With what you're suggesting you are just killing them for profit.
It beats the hell out of wasting thousands of dollars baby-sitting them for 20 years.


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