Hi, I'm *insert criminal name here*. I have committed a crime. The court system has declared me guilty of, lets say assault. They have deemed that an appropriate punishment for this crime is 8 months in prison, community service. During my incarceration I have been told I need to take anger management classes to control my violent tendencies and see a counselor.
6 months later I have been released on good behavior. The counselor says I am able to control myself better now. I am a model citizen, caring, responsible. Yet there are still people who believe I am a bad person, deserving to stay in prison, rot, or maybe even die.
The Justice system has been designed so that a certain punishment fits a certain crime. If I speed I get a ticket. If I punch you in the nose, I get an assault charge and community service. If I sell drugs I go to jail for a year, rape or murder your friend I go to jail for life. So why when people are done their terms do people still think poorly of them? How can you tell the difference between the good and the bad?
Karla Homolka. Oh Noes!! Kris is going to say something horrible now!!!
Ok so Karla Homolka did a lot of horrible things... no one denies this. Did she deserve the death penalty for it? I don't know enough about what happened to say either way, but she probably did. But I do have a problem with what the government is doing about her right now.
The government, by proxy of a judge, sentenced this woman to a punishment that "fit the crime"... atleast that's the idea behind the whole system right? So when she tried to get a pardon why does the government freak out? Because the public wants it? So if the government didn't believe her punishment was enough, why did they let her out?
Now please don't confuse this statement with me saying I believe she should be let off and allowed to do as she pleases. But really, why shouldn't she? She was in jail for the amount of time the government said was an appropriate punishment for her crime. This doesn't just go for her, it goes for every criminal that has this happen to them. If you're going to give these people special "fuck you" privileges, maybe the system doesn't work. Maybe you fucked up in the first place and you didn't give these criminals the appropriate punishment, not enough jail time, etc etc etc.
So my question to all the people that read my blog is this. What's wrong with this picture?
Are we not penalizing criminals enough?
Are we not rehabilitating them enough?
Are we being too hard of them?
And finally... what's more broken? The Criminals we incarcerate, the Justice system that can't seem to get it right, or Society for not seeing any of this for its truth?
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The problem here is society's view on what's a fair penalty for the crime. In general people feel the penalties are to light and thus unfair. Then to add insult to injury criminals don't even do the time given. The are granted bail for things like 'good behavior or time served prior to sentencing.'
ReplyDeleteWe have drunk drivers with multiple offended still driving some of which have killed people, sex offenders, pedofiles, people who beat thier spouses, hate criminals and animal abusers. These are crimes most people feel don't have harsh enough penalties. And that's the problem.
Society seems tired of a criminal system that seems to favour the criminals. Some judges try to dish out more severe penaties only to have appelate courts over rule them. Other judges don't even try as the less cases they do that don't go to appeals helps thier chances of moving up in courts.
Sure Karla Holmolka has served her time but was it enough? Is it wrong that the goverment is fast tracking the new rules for gaining pardons to prevent her from gaining one? I say not at all on both counts.
And what about the 7 yr old who recently tortured and killed a dog? By the law no penalties/ punishments at all. Merely a suggestion he attend counseling. Fair?
Penalties for crimes are partially suposed to act as a deterant. Are they?
The legal system is what is broken. We can no longer call it a justice system.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is the criminals are not afraid of the consequences of the actions they take. That being said it is obviously not harsh enough. Now its time for people to go but what about the innocent people... my answer is oh well.... Yes it sucks that innocent people get punished for things they did not do. But with harsh punishment less crime will occure so less innocent people will be found guilty
We try to rehabilitate the criminals when many of them do not want or can not be rehabilitated.
Back to your blog. Is is fair that the us as a society still hold grudges against those who commit crimes and pay what the legal system decided was a just punishment? No it is not fair to the ex con. But yet again I just think this shows that the vast majority of the population thinks we are too lenient on criminals.
Take prison life. From all accounts its fairly easy... Let them live in tents outside no comforts like pillows and tv's and weight sets. Let them raise livestock to kill to eat, let them learn to farm to eat. Not this bullshit that they have now.
Sorry im all off on a tangent now.
It's not so simple that once you finish your sentence you'e paid your debt and all is forgiven and forgotten. Almost always, you leave with a criminal record that will affect your options in life, at least until you get a pardon. Others are put on registries such as the sex-offender registry.
ReplyDeleteSo we already impose hardships on offenders after their sentences are finished. The idea of changing when certain offenders receive pardons isn't terribly out of line with the way the system is already set up. Of course, the way they changes were brought in (with Homolka's release looming) and the specific changes are up for debate.
Part of the reason you want to make life more difficult for ex-cons is the same reason we impose prison/jail sentences in the first place: it's a deterrent. It becomes another part of the punishment, and another disincentive for would-be criminals, whatever that's worth . . .
-Brother James