crime and punishment: the fallacy of deterrents

Which doesn't prove there are fewer thieves in three piece suits than there are muggers with a knife. It's just harder to catch them in the first place and harder to convict them when they have armies of attornies at their beck and call. There are fewer of them in prison because it's harder to get them into prison in the first place.

That's little more than a form of extorsion in my eyes. Give us stuff for free, stuff I can work for but won't, and I promise not to commit a crime.

"Yo, your honor. I ain't workin' and my guv'ment check ain't come. I needed money so I cut the bitch. It's your fault that I had to do that."

ever considered poverty isn't the causation of the criminal activity, but the consequence?

I disagree. I think there's always a way OUT of poverty. If you aren't making enough money to support yourself where you live, then move somewhere else. That's what upsets me a lot, people in poverty will flock to big cities, where they can't afford shit. Why would you choose to stay someplace where you can't earn enough to support yourself?

As for the succesful criminals, that's in a whole other category, but ties in with a similar manner. They find ways around rules in order to bring in cash that isn't taxed, and things of that sort. THey are lazy as well, in that they don't want to put forth the effort of making an honest living playing by the rules.

But many of those same people that are working multiple job just to stay in debt aren't knocking over liquor stores and beating old ladies for their SSI checks.

Or it might just be a feeling that it's more fun to be bad. It's a rush to get away with something, so I'll stay in this profession instead of turning my talents towards something productive.

People stay poor because of poor decisions. People lead a life of crime because of poor decisions. The two often go hand in hand.

and in these cases theres no preventative medicine - anyone expecting their ambitions to be handed to them on a plate needs a reality check.

we in the west live in a world of opportunity, its up to us to grasp the nettle and go for it though. if they're not prepared to do that, and prefer a life of crime, then fuck them.

society cannot be expected to cater to them, those who have sought out the opportunities they wanted should not be punished for those who did not.

why not?

you start off in a decent enough job, start to do a little crime, get caught.

employment opportunities start to dry out, and you circle down towards the slums because the state pays your rent and you have a criminal record. hardly the kind of tenant the more affluent regions are likely to embrace.

i find that somewhat more likely than some burger flipper one day deciding to try grand theft auto in order to supersize his TV.

oh, and if crime has such a tight connection to poverty, can anyone explain the UKs post-war crime rates?

crime rates were quite low post war, until the nation started picking its feet up in the mid-50's, from where crime rates started to soar.

is anything, there would appear to be a correlation between growing national affluence and crime-rates...

I agree with certain things here. Crime is committed with the expectation of not getting caught, and prisons should only be for those who represent a physical danger to society.

However, corporal punishment or public humiliation....

The biggest problem I have with public humiliation is that it requires that the criminal be capable of being humiliated. A lot of criminals think it's a badge of honor to be identified with a crime. Look at all the people arrested on COPS who say something to the effect of, "look at me, I'm on TV!" Look at the criminals on a prison documentary who are smiling and posturing in front of the camera. It isn't a detriment to them to be shown publically when associated with a crime; it's a resume builder.

Public whipping will never happen in America. The first time someone suggests that, you know the talking heads on tv will compare it to slavery, especially because such a large percentage of convicts are black.

The best way to deter crime is to kill everyone who commits one.

Wesley won't sneak his ass out this one!

Of course there are special circumstances. But the majority of these people are placing unrealistic expectations on themselves. Not everyone gets to have a big TV, 3-bedroom house, and cable internet right off the bat.

You gotta be willing to get on your hands and knees and scrub for it.

We can build a utopain society by executing criminals who commit the most trivial of crimes. Like that planet in that TNG episode whose name I forgotten. I thought their policy towards crime was a great idea, especially when it appeared likely that Wes would suffer under their penal code.
And look at what such socities get in return for such a harsh jutsice system - scantily clad handsome blonde folk having sex in public without a care in the world. Well worth the price IMO.