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Why are punishment for crimes so lame?

It wouldn't be difficult in this day and age with the technology we now have to catch and convict somebody of a crime to a 100% certainty. CCTV footage or DNA results, for examples.

IF a person is 100% convicted of a crime and there was no chance of this person being framed or mis-identified and depending on the crime, why shouldn't punishment be much more severe?

I do understand that it isn't always possible to convict somebody to 100% certainty.. i.e rape cases where even though dna testing is accurate and semen found, it still might have been consensual sex at the time! This poses a huge problem of course!

With people caught committing crimes on CCTV and it is 100% conclusive evidence.. and a conviction is made, then these criminals should be punished very severely. Armed robbery or even a mugging on the street are both life changing events for the victims.. and therefor the criminals should have their hands cut off or worse! It would deter others from doing it I am sure!!

I know it's not easy but I feel a LOT more could be done to deter criminals.. and it makes me wonder why it isn't?

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Um, maybe not cutting off their hands? But perhaps 5 years might not mean a lot to you, but for the criminals actually willing to change, that's a heck of a lot of time. Repeat offenders will have a much more serious case put forward for their crimes, it's not just a tier of a crime it's how many times it's been committed as well. Using a broad spectrum of people and just labelling them as 'criminals' is quite inaccurate, as we don't know the details of their situation or what's going on in the background. But that's just my 2 cents, I might have got something wrong idk?


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Yeh, well, the higher suicide rates in prison must be because it is such a laugh.

Let's make prison worse so we can create more psychopaths for release into the general population
Because deterrence doesn't work, and retribution should not be the basis of a justice system that isn't based in the 16th century. When you start to treat people like that, thieves turn into armed robbers, and armed robbers turn into murderers.
I think that's extreme and brutal Hammurabi's Code stuff. But they did used to have much more creative and entertaining punishments.

For instance, tarring and feathering people, or running them out of town on a rail. Sometimes leaving a person in stocks to be ridiculed and spit on by the public for a while.

Modern society is very boring in comparison, but also a lot safer and more sensitive. There is something to be said for the old way, although I doubt most people would seriously want to go back to that.
I do agree from the perspective of law abiding citzen that the punishment handed to sombody may seem mere compared to their crime and the result of the crime but you must bare into consideriation that once u have been branded as a "criminal" life becomes inventiably harder , also life inside prison isnt exactly luxerious and often sends many people mad being confined to such a small space.

So the question you should be asking is what can we do as a society to prevent such crimes taking place as by preventing these crimes from happeing we will ultimatley reduce crime and yes i understand we will never be crime free but understanding the route of crime and the desperation what causes people to display negativity should be our goal rather than simply locking up societys broking people hoping they will go alone.
thats my perspective anyway.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 6
Rehabilitation is far more important than punishment, imo.
Original post by Iknowbest
criminals should have their hands cut off or worse!


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Reply 8
Not seeing much of a solution here..

How about looking at how other Countries deal with crime? ie Switzerland for example?
http://uk.businessinsider.com/why-norways-prison-system-is-so-successful-2014-12

Punishment does not work. Our justice system should be focused on rehabilitation.
Original post by JoshC98
Rehabilitation is far more important than punishment, imo.


Original post by david9640
http://uk.businessinsider.com/why-norways-prison-system-is-so-successful-2014-12

Punishment does not work. Our justice system should be focused on rehabilitation.


Agreed
Original post by Iknowbest
It wouldn't be difficult in this day and age with the technology we now have to catch and convict somebody of a crime to a 100% certainty. CCTV footage or DNA results, for examples.

IF a person is 100% convicted of a crime and there was no chance of this person being framed or mis-identified and depending on the crime, why shouldn't punishment be much more severe?

I do understand that it isn't always possible to convict somebody to 100% certainty.. i.e rape cases where even though dna testing is accurate and semen found, it still might have been consensual sex at the time! This poses a huge problem of course!

With people caught committing crimes on CCTV and it is 100% conclusive evidence.. and a conviction is made, then these criminals should be punished very severely. Armed robbery or even a mugging on the street are both life changing events for the victims.. and therefor the criminals should have their hands cut off or worse! It would deter others from doing it I am sure!!

I know it's not easy but I feel a LOT more could be done to deter criminals.. and it makes me wonder why it isn't?

I hope to God you never become Prime Minister.
Reply 12
Original post by Platopus
I hope to God you never become Prime Minister.


Well, let's just keep going the way we are and letting criminals off with little punishment.. and the victims affected for life then?

BIG changes are needed.. and if I was to become PM, many people would be too scared to commit any crime! Thus problem solved!

The comments regarding rehabilitation works.. punishment does not... Are you serious??? So it's ok for a victim of a crime to suffer possibly all their life (or lack of it) as long as the criminal doesn't do it again?! Such a silly argument!
Original post by Iknowbest
It wouldn't be difficult in this day and age with the technology we now have to catch and convict somebody of a crime to a 100% certainty. CCTV footage or DNA results, for examples.

IF a person is 100% convicted of a crime and there was no chance of this person being framed or mis-identified and depending on the crime, why shouldn't punishment be much more severe?

I do understand that it isn't always possible to convict somebody to 100% certainty.. i.e rape cases where even though dna testing is accurate and semen found, it still might have been consensual sex at the time! This poses a huge problem of course!

With people caught committing crimes on CCTV and it is 100% conclusive evidence.. and a conviction is made, then these criminals should be punished very severely. Armed robbery or even a mugging on the street are both life changing events for the victims.. and therefor the criminals should have their hands cut off or worse! It would deter others from doing it I am sure!!

I know it's not easy but I feel a LOT more could be done to deter criminals.. and it makes me wonder why it isn't?


Go and do a criminology degree.

Its rarely 100%, its just beyond reasonable doubt.

You might want to look at the studies on whether severity or rehabilitation is your objective. Perhaps yousd like hanging and hand chopping to be part of the mix.

Keeping someone in prison costs the Uk taxpayer c £40-50k a year.
Original post by Iknowbest

BIG changes are needed.. and if I was to become PM, many people would be too scared to commit any crime! Thus problem solved!

So that's why states in the USA with the death penalty have a higher murder rate than states and countries without then?
Reply 15
Original post by Platopus
So that's why states in the USA with the death penalty have a higher murder rate than states and countries without then?


Many other factors involved..
Original post by Iknowbest
Well, let's just keep going the way we are and letting criminals off with little punishment.. and the victims affected for life then?

BIG changes are needed.. and if I was to become PM, many people would be too scared to commit any crime! Thus problem solved!

The comments regarding rehabilitation works.. punishment does not... Are you serious??? So it's ok for a victim of a crime to suffer possibly all their life (or lack of it) as long as the criminal doesn't do it again?! Such a silly argument!


Your solution is to make people too scared? how would you be doing that?
You dont think people have tried that?
Original post by Iknowbest
Many other factors involved..

Uh huh. Fact remains that most of the time when people commit a crime either:

A) It's not premeditated, so the severity of the punishment has no impact on their action.

or

B) They don't expect to be caught, so the severity of the punishment has no impact on their action.
Original post by Platopus
Uh huh. Fact remains that most of the time when people commit a crime either:

A) It's not premeditated, so the severity of the punishment has no impact on their action.

or

B) They don't expect to be caught, so the severity of the punishment has no impact on their action.


Yep. Harsher punishments don't deter crime, and often make people more likely to reoffend. The purpose of the justice system is to rehabilitate people so they're no longer a risk and can be released to become productive members of society. It isn't to satisfy your barbarian thirst for blood. Countries with the most liberal, rehabilitative justice systems almost always have the lowest crime rates, but some idiots would insist on dragging us back to the stone age.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 19
Original post by 999tigger
Your solution is to make people too scared? how would you be doing that?
You dont think people have tried that?


With today's technology it would be much easier to catch a criminal in some circumstances:

CCTV - should be EVERYWHERE possible - human rights, privacy laws should not be an issue.. if people's lives and property can be saved!

DNA - is a lot more accurate today and can be a great way to catch a criminal or place a person at a scene (although more evidence would be required.. to avoid a person being framed)

I do understand, like I said before, there is no perfect system.. but a LOT more could be done..

Once a person is caught via CCTV - for shop lifting, mugging etc.. and 100% caught in the act.. SEVERE punishment should be dealt! There is NO excuse for committing these crimes.. NONE!

In other cases.. it would be much like now, and people would go to jail.. but it would be MUCH tougher in jail.. and again human rights should not be an issue!

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