And how did you come up with this theory?
White-collar crimes vs. blue-collar
- Thread starter aimeeandbeatles
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And how did you come up with this theory?
This makes me sad.
I'm increasingly working towards the conclusion that outside of academia, I'm going to have great difficulty in finding a workplace with peers that are both moral and competent.
aimeeandbeatles
watermelon
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Here is another example the book made. It said if a person stole a pound of turkey meat they may go to jail. However, if a grocery store deliberately messed with the weight of the turkey (e.g. saying it was 25 pounds when it was 24) he would just get a re-primind from a business association. This is how I remember it. The book is on my shelf.
Speaking as someone who spent years working in a highly-corrupt supermarket, you're spot-on about that aimee. The place pumped meat products full of water to increase their weight - having also worked as a butcher, I know how potentially dangerous and unhealthy that is - and when caught, paid a small fine and continued doing it. A 10 year old kid who stole some condoms from the store - I don't even want to know what he was planning on using them for - got 3 months in juvi.
kulade
Deity
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I'd probably say that the reason (aside from white-collar people simply being in more well-esteemed positions) is that when "blue-collar" crime takes place the the victim is affected in a direct, at times personal and therefore more emotional way, while when people commit "white-collar" crime, the many victims are robbed in a subtle more diffuse way that may not even have any marginal effect on some of the victims' lives.
One can get 15 years in prison for stealing hundred bucks?!
Bestbank Tiger
Deity
Well, it's possible he was a career criminal and was sentenced as a habitual offender. Still excessive for that particular crime though.
The AIG exec only getting four years? That is an absolute travesty.
The reason for the discrepancy is the laws are written by corrupt politicians.
From a punishment perspective, disparate sentences for blue and white collar crime really doesn't make sense. But perhaps there is something in the argument that those who commit white collar crime pose less of a threat to the public than those who commit blue collar crime. Now that is a horrible generalisation, but I would think it applies more often than not. Someone who mugs you is probably more of a danger than someone who embezzles a few thousand at work.
Also, the picture about the 15 year sentence is a bit misleading, in that it was a first degree robbery. He robbed a bank, and:
Someone's been watching ACA (and it's not me, btw).
Also, the picture about the 15 year sentence is a bit misleading, in that it was a first degree robbery. He robbed a bank, and:
Now I think that sentence is still way way too excessive, but it's not quite as bad as the headline would have us believe.
Someone's been watching ACA (and it's not me, btw).
Now that I read the story, I suspect the judge was actually humane and gave the guy what he actually wanted - food and shelter for a longer period.
Err... There are way better ways to go about that than jailing a guy. Yeah he probably did have a prior record if he wound up with 15 years, but still for $100 when an AIG (later bailed out by the feds, remeber), gets only 4 years for stealing 50,000x more?
Some people who end up with excessively long sentences for a (relatively) minor crime may be due to the "third strike" laws. I read some years ago about a guy who had two strikes for some relatively moderate to serious crimes, was on parole, and stole a pizza. He ended up in prison for life.
Yes, what BT meant by habitual offender. We had a guy here in Ohio who got five years in prison for stealing dog food. Not until you got down to the bottom of the newspaper article did they reveal it was his 43rd felony. Under most states' three strikes rules, each crime results in an increasing punishment.
There's a lot of moral and competent people. But there's also a lot of criminality. And the sociopathy tends to increase as you move up the chain: it's the nature of the chain.
Most people on death row probably are stupid or brain damaged because:
1. Clever people who have murdered someone and have left a lot of evidence plea bargain for life.
2. There's an association between knocks on the head and criminality. This could be that criminals tend to get knocked more often, as well as that those who've been hit commit criminal acts.
1. Clever people who have murdered someone and have left a lot of evidence plea bargain for life.
2. There's an association between knocks on the head and criminality. This could be that criminals tend to get knocked more often, as well as that those who've been hit commit criminal acts.
SS-18 ICBM
Oscillator
Typical, really. This is why context is of paramount importance.
GhostWriter16
Deity
Yeah, I favor three strike laws, but that's a bit much. Three strikes should increase the punishment, but that's too extreme for stealing a pizza.
civver_764
Deity
The rich get richer, the poor get prison.
Richard Cribb
He does monologues
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The system works!
Seriously, there shouldn't be anything sensational about this. I for one is neither surprised nor morally indignated.
GhostWriter16
Deity
Well, I would agree with you that prison is not a great way to deal with theft (Well, non-violent theft anyway.)
But if you continually commit crimes, the punishment should increase. Life for stealing a pizza is ridiculous anyway you look at it. But he should have had to pay higher reparations.
GenMarshall
High Elven ISB Capt & Ghost Agent
The Capitalist class always gets away with murder...
