Posted by thuso on July 26, 2005, at 0:11:25
In reply to may trigger: Like our criminal justice system » JenStar, posted by Racer on July 25, 2005, at 22:41:58
> Anyway, I think that Dr Bob really has made every effort to keep things fair here, to be seen to offer the same punishment for the same offense every time. I'm just not sure I agree that that's the best way to go about it. There are times -- like with "so" -- where perhaps harsher and more lenient sentences might be best for the community as a whole. More lenient in the cases of those here who slipped due to outrage, and more harsh for someone who really did state that his/her intent was other than benign.
>In a perfect forum that would be my ideal too. Unfortunately, it would be so subjective that it would only cause more problems than the way things are done now. Many people may not like that the same punishment is given to everyone regardless, but how else would you suggest it be done with it being as unsubjective as possible? The way things are done now it seems that the punishments are less of a product of Dr. B's personal feelings than if he had to decide whether to be harsh or lenient. If it was changed to being lenient for some cases and harsher for others, then wouldn't his personal feelings end up playing a role in the punishment (even if he tried not to)? I would bet money on the fact that if the punishment structure was changed then you would get many more people crying "favoritism!" than do now.
I found a great quote for you though...
"If an equal punishment is laid down for two crimes which damage society unequally, men will not have a stronger deterrent against committing the greater crime if they find it more advantageous to do so."
"On Crimes and Punishments"
Cesare Beccaria
1764It's a great read and you can find it easily on the internet.
poster:thuso
thread:531449
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20050716/msgs/533598.html