Get a Widget for this title
RSS FeedShould computer virus writers go to jail?
Results so far:
| No | 15% | 158 votes | Total: 1032 votes | |
| Yes | 85% | 874 votes |
No
Write now
Print
Invite a writer™
Add to FavoritesOur legal system needs to be reformed. American jails are filled with people who have committed non-violent crimes. Money from tax payers is being used to take care of a their living expenses. Law breakers who spread computer viruses could be given the opportunity to do community service jobs. A vision for change has the potential of becoming reality if we concentrate on the concept of rehabilitation rather than the idea of punishment. In some ways society can be protected from computer virus writers and be compensated for the problems that resulted. Those who create and distribute viruses should be given a chance to use what they know to be a benefit to others who they have wronged.
Programs providing rehabilitation might be a much better choice than jail. The criminal then would be given an option to do community service. The hours of service would be dependent on the severity of the crime. They could be trained to be a part of the country's work force with computers set up to mentors who would make sure that they were doing their jobs. A tracking device would be placed on them so that these community service prisoners wouldn't escape. What ever the criminal was talented in could be used as a way to make money to compensate the ones that were hurt. Those people who thought it was fun to write viruses would be having their freedom taken away for a certain length of time and hard at work to pay for their unwise choices.
Various rehabilitation centers could be staffed with policemen, counselors and private individuals. The criminal's experience and strengths would be examined. Those with special talents might benefit others by engaging in various professions. Artists, musicians, writers and teachers would work closely with the rehabilitation centers. Some mentor jobs would provide opportunities at home to give disabled people and individuals who find it impossible to travel to work each day ways to make a living.
Computer virus writers do not have to continue their destructiveness and be our enemies. Surely their actions have caused much damage yet with the proper guidance they may become more friendly and even a benefit to others. People who do bad things do not have to continue down the road of hatred. Jail stays often are not conducive to rehabilitation.
There is hope for those who want to accept the consequences of their wrong actions. Society can give people opportunities to make the changes that are needed to live as law abiding citizens. If we make the decision to look at cyberspace virus writers with compassion and ask our great Creator for the guidance to make reformations perhaps this proposal will one day result in many success stories.
Learn more about this author, Cat Shomo.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Yes
It may be argued that a non-violent crime should not pose a jail sentence. There are many arguments to support that idea, not the least of which is the overcrowded jail itself. Fines imposed are often enough a deterrent to keep most people from committing non-violent crimes. However, the description of what does, and does not constitute "violent" should be examined before judgement is passed.
A person walking down the street shooting at others, or hitting others is certainly violent. How about a person who takes a key to a car door? Has some violence been committed against another? As it causes damage with an object, yes, it does constitute violence. Consider a person breaking a window to get into a house. Breaking the window is a violent crime. If the same person merely opens the window and destroys or steals items, is it then non-violent? How about a person who creates a program that will wipe out someone else's hard drive on their computer? Has violence been committed? Though no actual object was used to perpetrate the damage, there was damage done. Information was "stolen" or damaged. The victim feels no less assaulted than if he had been physically struck by the assailant.
The resulting damage causes the victim money in repairs to reinstall any and all programs that have been damaged or erased. It causes the victim time lost while the computer is being repaired and in recreating any files that were lost or damaged. There could have been medical records, research, or novels in those files. Some of those files may be the lifework of the computer owner. How do you compensate someone who has lost that? Would that person consider this a non-violent crime? Recently, banks and state offices have been hit. Banks must send out new debit/credit cards, and both banks and state offices must deal with the loss of public trust. This is no less trouble than dealing with a physical break-in.
As the punishment should fit the crime, the computer virus writer should face jail time corresponding to the type and amount of damage that has occurred. The more important the files, the longer the jail time. If a person lost some computer games that can be downloaded, they certainly lost far less than the person who had a collection of family photos or the aforementioned novel saved on their hard drive. The stiffest penalties should be reserved for those miscreants who hack into bank and state office files to leave viruses. Not only does it hurt that office, it hurts hundreds or hundreds of thousands of customers as well.
Maybe the risk of not knowing if they face 2 weeks or 2 years in jail for a computer break-in would deter virus writers. As new viruses are written, new safeguards and anti-viruses must be created. That adds to the cost of fighting the degenerates who write viruses. As such, the computer virus writer should indeed face jail time for his supposedly non-violent crime.
Learn more about this author, Liane Laskoske.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
