You are absolutely correct. You do have to do your time if you do the crime. This is part of society. Without punishment, we would have no rules. But as such, we need to make sure that the punishment fits the crime.
I think that we as a society have a responsibility to our criminals. Not a responsibility to give them a pat on the back and a free ride, but a responsibility to make sure that as well as recieving their punishment they recieve a fair chance to honest life after their punishment.
If this kid screws up again, he will recieve harsher penalties. If he lives the honest life, he'll be able to provide for himself.
When you make it a habit to place a great permanent burden upon an individual in the form of punishment, bad things will happen. If you ruin someone's life and they feel trapped and unable to make an honest living, they will make a dishonest living.
If this kid got smacked with $5mil in fines or something similarly ridiculous that he couldn't get out of because of a judgement slip as a minor, he would likely turn to crime for life. This is why I hate how we treat felons in the states. Let's make it to where they can't get a real job, can't vote, and in general are sub-citizens for stupid shit. -That- won't make them commit more crime to survive... Work minimum wage forever, or sling drugs. Program for 60 hours a week to pay off a huge fine, or write malicious viruses and commit computer fraud and disappear. I wonder which pays better and offers more hope.
I know that I've made some really dumb mistakes as a minor, and if they still haunted me now in the form that you are advocating, I really doubt that I would be a productive member of society. I would be willing to wager that most of us could say the same.
Unfortunately, TI seems to have the market cornered with their non-feature-rich calculators. The more features you add, the less people will want them. This is inverse to what you would think, but it due to one large reason: "Education"
Teachers wouldn't permit calcs that could be used as a game boy. Standardized testing wouldn't allow calcs with large memory and a notes program. It's all BS, but that's another comment.
"We can't even wipe out AIDS or world hunger or war, how are we going to work together to colonize another planet?"
I can see this being said a few hundred years ago. "We can't even wipe out or war or poverty, how are we going to work together to colonize the New World?" We've done this sort of thing before, we'll do it again.
The problem with this is that those vehicles would cost a lot of money to create, whereas you can exploit some poor soul by recruiting them to be your drug mule. Cheap, effective, and already mastered. Nice idea, but the need just isn't there.
Slashdot Mirror
You are absolutely correct. You do have to do your time if you do the crime. This is part of society. Without punishment, we would have no rules. But as such, we need to make sure that the punishment fits the crime.
I think that we as a society have a responsibility to our criminals. Not a responsibility to give them a pat on the back and a free ride, but a responsibility to make sure that as well as recieving their punishment they recieve a fair chance to honest life after their punishment.
If this kid screws up again, he will recieve harsher penalties. If he lives the honest life, he'll be able to provide for himself.
I have to respectfully disagree.
When you make it a habit to place a great permanent burden upon an individual in the form of punishment, bad things will happen. If you ruin someone's life and they feel trapped and unable to make an honest living, they will make a dishonest living.
If this kid got smacked with $5mil in fines or something similarly ridiculous that he couldn't get out of because of a judgement slip as a minor, he would likely turn to crime for life. This is why I hate how we treat felons in the states. Let's make it to where they can't get a real job, can't vote, and in general are sub-citizens for stupid shit. -That- won't make them commit more crime to survive... Work minimum wage forever, or sling drugs. Program for 60 hours a week to pay off a huge fine, or write malicious viruses and commit computer fraud and disappear. I wonder which pays better and offers more hope.
I know that I've made some really dumb mistakes as a minor, and if they still haunted me now in the form that you are advocating, I really doubt that I would be a productive member of society. I would be willing to wager that most of us could say the same.
Could be worse. It could be named "MicroNad" :)
Unfortunately, TI seems to have the market cornered with their non-feature-rich calculators. The more features you add, the less people will want them. This is inverse to what you would think, but it due to one large reason: "Education" Teachers wouldn't permit calcs that could be used as a game boy. Standardized testing wouldn't allow calcs with large memory and a notes program. It's all BS, but that's another comment.
"We can't even wipe out AIDS or world hunger or war, how are we going to work together to colonize another planet?" I can see this being said a few hundred years ago. "We can't even wipe out or war or poverty, how are we going to work together to colonize the New World?" We've done this sort of thing before, we'll do it again.
The problem with this is that those vehicles would cost a lot of money to create, whereas you can exploit some poor soul by recruiting them to be your drug mule. Cheap, effective, and already mastered. Nice idea, but the need just isn't there.