Andy9o8 3 #26 January 28, 2012 QuoteQuoteAlso, if anyone can think of other things that might be traded for jail time, please feel free to mention it. I didn't see community service in your list. BIG fines + community service for white collar crime. These are not violent people who need to be locked away at our expense. Prison should be reserved for people who present a real danger to the community. I definitely agree re: drugs offenses. But I have to disagree re: white collar criminals. Non-incarceratory penalties alone are not enough to deter many white collar criminals, especially those who think themselves clever enough to outwit the system, and thus they don't expect to get caught. On the other hand, as I agreed above, the average middle- and upper-class person is horrified at the thought of going to jail, and I do think the prospect of prison does act as a real deterrent on them. That's on a practical level. On a moral level, it would offend me that stealing other people's assets via "white collar" means should be punished less severely than the more "blue collar" type of non-violent thefts, for example, auto theft or habitual shoplifting. Put succinctly, criminal laws should be class-neutral. They should not only not be biased against the lower-classes, they should also not be biased (in practical effect) in favor of the upper classes. And deterrence is also important. If the real prospect of prison is needed to deter pension fund embezzlers, investment scammers and insurance fraudsters, so be it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
