by Jimmy Bromberg

Created on: May 09, 2008

Society should treat criminals in the way that most benefits society. This means, locking up violent criminals, and rehabilitating minor drug offenders. Plain and simple, you cannot have violent people walking the streets. Life is too precious to be taken away or damaged by a violent criminal. I feel little sympathy for murderers who spend their lives in prison. Certainly they may have reformed, but the day they took a life, they forfeited their opportunity to enjoy the luxuries of freedom. For safety reasons, it is crucial that we keep violent offenders in prison, far away from the rest of society.

At the same time, it is a drain on our economy to lock up minor drug offenders. Marijuana users do little to harm society. While it can be argued that they are doing damage to themselves, they are in no way doing damage to you and me. Drug users should be punished for the things they do to others, not for what they do to themselves. If a cocaine user steals to support his or her habit, or a stoned driver causes a car accident, they should be punished. However, the cocaine or marijuana user should not go to jail for simply using the drug. Rather, they should have to follow the same rules as anyone drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes.

If there is no victim in a crime, I do not believe there should be any prison time for the offender. It takes money away from more important endeavors, and ultimately does not help the drug user. Drug abusers, like alcohol abusers, should be pushed into rehabilitation. Furthermore, if a drug abuser proves to be a negligent parent, then their children should be taken away from them unless they receive treatment.

For other non-violent crimes however, I believe it is up to the judge and jury. It's difficult to know the right punishment for a burglar or tax evader. Certainly there should be consequences, but without knowing the particular circumstances of the case, it would be hard to make the correct verdict. Ultimately though, the punishment should fit the crime. If no one is being hurt, then the punishment should be minimal. If there is a victim, the punishment should be more severe. The goal of each and every criminal justice system should be to improve society, whether that means putting violent offenders away, or saving money by keeping minor drug offenders out. Leave the prisons for the people who truly need to be imprisoned.

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