I AM CORRECTING ONE OF MY POSTS Yesterday I posted: Oklahoma is working on a law that will make the Knock out game a felony. Right now it is a misdemeanor assault punishable by up to 90 days in jail. If the new law passes it will become a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Correction: The punishment will not be UP TO 10 years in prison, penalty will be AT LEAST 10 years in prison. Why do we need such a harsh punishment? The problem is that the punishment for the crime is not a deterrent...unless, like you say, there is real injury or even death, the perpetrators will likely get a slap on the wrist for their offense, and UP TO 90 days in county/city jail...most of these thugs are used to spending a little time in lock up, so the reward is worth the risk. However, if you make the punishment greatly exceed the perceived reward and make an example out of some of them to others, then you have a genuine deterrent. Example: In China spitting on the sidewalk is a cultural norm, everybody does it, no big deal. However, when China was getting ready to host the Olympics their officials realized that this behaviour was disgusting to other cultures and could really mar how the world perceived China and their jewel city Beijing. They began by imposing a small fine for spitting in public...the people didnt even slow down, they just kept spitting because the fine was something most people were willing to pay if they even happened to get caught. So China made spitting in public punishable by a much stiffer fine and time in jail...that put a stop to it after a few Chinese had to pay a very large fine and sit in jail for awhile. Another example was horse theft back in the old west...a fine meant nothing, hanging on the other hand...
Posted on: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 13:34:25 +0000
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