“…I would argue that the penalty needs to be whatever is required to stop the behavior and no more…” – Taylor
A few years back, Japan instituted a law that for the first conviction of DUI, everyone had to lose their driver’s license. A couple of years later and to the chagrin of the now burgeoning industry of new chauffeurs, they rescinded the law. On Nov 5, 1:00 pm, Taylor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > <<is it saying that punishment for some behaviors should be > considered relative to the environment that affected the criminal when > we > consider punishment like the death penalty? That we can't help > ourselves in > some situations? >> > > Possibly. One of the arguments against the death penalty for, say, > murder, is that murder is usually a crime of passion. In other words, > they don't think. Historically, the data did not support the idea > that the death penalty reduced the amount of murder. > > If that's true, why execute a criminal? > > But I think the question is more relevant to accidental crimes. If I > get drunk and run over a 10-year-old, why is my penalty so much > harsher than if I was merely weaving down the road and got pulled over > by a cop? In both cases, the crime is the same, driving under the > influence. > > I would argue that the penalty needs to be whatever is required to > stop the behavior and no more. The penalty attached to unintended > consequences is unlikely to be a deterrent because the unintended > consequences are...unintended. I don't intend to run over anyone, so > why should I be concerned about the penalty associated with that > behavior? > > Probably the underlying reason is that we feel that the perpetrator > "deserves" a harsher sentence. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Memphis Freethought Alliance" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/memphisfreethoughtalliance?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
