Friday, October 14, 2011

To Deter or Not Deter, That is the Question?


In the news today there is an article about a billionaire convicted of insider trading in the stock market.  He was sentenced to 11 years, while the Government was hoping for 20 to send a clear message and deter future traders from violating the law.  That got me to wondering; does sentence length or even the death penalty deter future criminal behavior?  Have we seen a marked decrease in criminal activity as more people are placed into prison?
When we imprison people behind walls, away from the public, they quickly move to the “out of sight, out of mind” category and we move on with our everyday lives.  At least those of us not directly affected by their crimes do.  So how do we convey the lesson that criminal activity is wrong, when we don’t teach civics, or ethics, or morality in school, and so many parents don’t teach it at home?
With the abolishment of public stocks, flogging, or execution as “uncivilized” we have made punishment an abstract until someone is caught and then it is too late to have deterred anything.   Locally, shoplifters are now required to place their picture in the paper with the statement they were convicted of retail theft.  I wonder if it is the start of a trend that will bring back the old pillory, dunking ponds, scarlet letters and such?

No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...