There seems to be a general consensus that if one does the crime, one should do the time. While that may have held true in a certain era, would you say that it should apply today.

Consider this:

We live in a society that spends more money on prisons than schools. More and more of our children are sexually active by the age of 12. That's right TWELVE.

We all know someone who is an alcoholic or an addict. More and more addicts and children are having children and they are growing up not only in poverty and disadvantaged, but where crime and drug use are the 'norm'. If all they know is drugs and crime, how can held accountable for something they DON'T know to be right or wrong?

We can say punish and rehabilitate because we have been taught a moral fiber.

But is incarceration adequate for someone who has never been 'habilitated' in the first place?

Should we hold a person accountable who steals and commits crime for survival? And By accountable I mean locking them up and throwing away the key.

Our economy is bad and there is no hope for the immediate future. The unemployment rate is still rising, the housing market hasn't quite reached bottom.

I saw on the news where a 60 something year old man robbed a bank because he used to work there and they still owed him money. His bills and medical expenses were so high, he felt forced to go to the bank and get his money. He only asked for a specific amount, the money he felt he was owed. And during the entire robbery, he was sobbing like a baby.

Should he be locked up forever? Is he a criminal? There are thousands in this country having to make difficult decisions like this everyday. Your thoughts.

Our current "justice" system is broken beyond repair. I have long been an advocate of such things as private law and private law enforcement-not to mention repealing laws against non-crimes such as drug use and prostitution. A return to Constitutional law would be a good start.

Our current "justice" system is broken beyond repair. I have long been an advocate of such things as private law and private law enforcement-not to mention repealing laws against non-crimes such as drug use and prostitution. A return to Constitutional law would be a good start.

I think the consequence should fit the crime. the man who only stole what he would have been owed anyway,,should not do any serious time. He does have to do SOMETHING as a consequence for the way he CHOSE to go about receiving his money,, but no, I wouldnt think he would deserve to be in the same place as an armed robber or someone who had taken a life.

You should know the difference between right and wrong.Every action has it's consequinces.You live by the sword,you die by the sword.You do the crime,you do the time.

Can I ask how they should know? Is it inherent? Or is it taught? If a child grows up without the father in the home and the mother is either working all the time, or an addict and let the streets raise them, where would they learn?

Each case is definitely different. I would say in your op though, at 60 , a person would have learned SOMEWHERE that society doesnt accept theft.

There is a vast grass roots movement that seeks to repeal so-called "consentual crimes" or crimes between two consenting adults, like prostitution and drug sales.

The law allows for 'mitigating circumstances' in certain crimes, like justifiable homicide if I walked in on a molester who is raping my child.

There are people out here who have lost everything and honestly don't know where their next meal is coming from...

Would this be a mitigating circumstance?

Every one is born with a knowledge of right and wrong. I do believe how you are raised hardens people to things and clouds there judgement. But you can't let things go unpunished or the world will just get worse. Actually it's too late already. The world is a bigger mess than ever and there is no cure.
If we still stoned people for crimes worthy of death every one would think twice before they did the crime. Our soft ways of dealing with serious crime has only made it ok for people to grow up thinking murder and so on is not really that bad. Hell ya get free food and a warm room. I strongly believe in the death penalty for serious crimes like murder. Cold blooded murder. They should be judge of course but then taken out side and shot on live tv. What happened to the real world? Every one wants to sugar coat life so it looks like a fairy tail. We need some leaders who still have a set between there legs. Just my point of view. If ya don't like it that's cool.

I agree. A private justice system would provide this.

lol...I actually agree with you in principle...just not to that extreme

And I happen to believe that everyone is born with the tendency for self-preservation, not necessarily right from wrong.

A child knows how to do wrong...you have to teach them how to do right.

Well my point is that if ya execute a guy behind closed doors what does that really show the next generation? Nothing! Some guy died today. So what! But if the talk of the country in every school was more like(DID YA SEE THAT S@#T ON THE NEWS TODAY? BLEW HIS FREAKEN HEAD CLEAN OFF) Then you'd have a little deterant going on. But I'm not talking all crime so don't anyone go there. It should fit the crime. I at the same time think death row in a lot of cases shouldn't be so full.

I think you have a point there to some extent. A child knows wrong when he avoids being caught. Young kids do this.
So I'd say we all have an idea that sticking a knife in some guy for his 40 bucks probably isn't what we should be doing. Unless your simply not worth the air your breathing you should have some common sense about the serious issues. Other small crime could be seen as a way to survive I'll give you that one. I just jumped in here to share my thoughts on how we let the worst of the worst go unpunished.

I think I agree with you in a way. Our justice system has TOUGHT people that you can get away with doing wrong. And yes it's been going on so long with slack laws that many children have grown up with no fear of what would happen if they did this or that.

I am a single woman who raised children alone. Was one of those moms who worked all the time, no help from daddy, no visits from daddy...I did it alone. I have 3 sons, one has made bad choices and had gotten in trouble..2 have not. Same home, same mom, raised the same way. That is an excuse..my boys knew what was right and what was wrong by the time they were 4 years old.
Part of it is inherent, part is taught..

Tricky subject involving splitting hairs.

To be objective to every individual case would require an inside perspective involving everything from childhood to present circumstance.

Not only impractical, but, I believe, unachievable.

Thereby I still abide by the laws of Hammurabbi.

An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth.

To make exception is to invite infinite rationalizations that may or may not truthfully bear pertinence. This leads to second guessing every aspect of a justice system (they all have flaws)

Still, a flawed justice, in my mind is better than anarchy.

Don't get me wrong. I firmly believe that an anarchistic society would theoretically work. If everyone took full accountability for thier own actions or inactions......yet, we all know, that personal repsonsibility is only accepted when facing successes, rarely when facing adversity and NEVER when facing failure.

The question is, what is true justice?

Not sure it exists.