How fair are some legal systems?

[nathalie]

For example, going to jail.

A man here in Belgium was on trial today (was on the news and all), and they gave him 25 years.

He murdered someone, took away a mans life, for a little bit of money.

The craziest thing, if he behaves well, he'll be out of jail in 6 years.

What's the point of giving him 25 years then?


That is just so un fair, or is there something I don't get? :confused:

[lion_roog]

I've heard of people getting 25 years for stealing a slice of pizza in Cali because of the Three Strikes (your out) rule...

[ThiagoPE]

here in brazil there is a law that:
-No oone can spend more than 30 years in jail.
-if the prisioner have good behavior can be released after make 1/6 of the penalty (meaning if someone that kiled a person, if it get the maximun penality that is 30 years, after 5 it can be freed)

In short: we never have strong penalties, so we have this scenario like here in recife that 21 persons were killed just in the last holyday (15 of november, last tuesday)

[nafklt]

Here in Canada, going to jail for life=25 years, therefore someone who gets out of jail after going to jail for 25 years would technically be living in the afterlife? :confused:

[Azerane]

Hehe, yeah that's something I've never really understood. If you kill somebody aren't you supposed to get a life sentence or something, I would call 25 years a life.

[Kintaru]

Well the problem with most legal systems is that it's all just too complicated, and there's no one real standard for most crimes.

Different judges setting different precedents, confusing laws, unique circumstances to the case, evidence of the lack thereof, and of course lawyers doing whatever they can to make things better for their client, no matter how crummy the suspects are.

So it all becomes convoluted, politically correct, and way more complicated than it needs to be. Causing things like this.

[lion_roog]

Well the prison system in America, atleast, is not that effective. I believe the average return on prisoners is 70% at you basic prison. Mianly because all prison does for someone is make them mad.

[Juniper]

Well, in Ohio, if you murder someone, you're only in jail for about two to three years. Then you're executed.

There's a 65 year old lady going to jail for the offense of feeding squirrels... >.>

[lion_roog]

You know...they say that the Mafia is looking to move into the squirrel feeding business...

[Only-now]

I have never been for focusing on rehabilitation of criminals...I say focus on punishment.

[lion_roog]

Originally posted by Only-now
I have never been for focusing on rehabilitation of criminals...I say focus on punishment.

It's just too bad that method doesn't work. Evidence being the 70% of returns in prisons that focus on that...while prisons that focus on rehabing only have at worst a 30% return.

[unregistered user]

Over here, one murder that's gonna be a death sentence[Hang to death(if he confess or guilty).
25 years? Maybe corruption or drug dealer?
Edit: Rape

[nathalie]

Originally posted by pntbll248
There's a 65 year old lady going to jail for the offense of feeding squirrels... >.>

For feeding squirrels?

They must have got room to much in jail then ...


A few weeks ago, in Belgium, a man killed a police officer.
The man who killed him, got 5 years.
The person who was just sitting in the car with that man, who had actually nothing to do with it, got 10 years.

Where's the logic in that? :confused:

[Sadiki]

here even life sentence is only 12 years, still I have heard someone got 12 life sentence so 144 years in prison from first rapeing 3 female, then murdering them and after that shooting a police with a shotgun... I do think that is rightful thing that he stays in prison for rest of his life, but then there is other laws what penalties are way wrong. Like makeing a graffit you may get 3 months of jail and 10 000? fine but rapeing someone you may get only 5000? fine if you are lucky.. that is outrages in my opinion.

[klowd]

There's not enough space in the prisions.

[A-non-a-mus]

Justice system is terrible most of the time... Most people don't even mind jail...
They gave this one kid 5 years for killing two people... for one it kind of says 'well those two weren't worth much' ... for two, that kid was in gangs and doesn't even feel bad for what he did and is VERY likely to do the same once he gets out... then they complain that 'crime is high'... well they should stop realising the murderers... and stop wasting our tax dollars by keeping them alive... I bet if the murderers were put to death in the same way they killed their victim muderers would probably think twice...
another point is they keep complaining about capital pumishment as 'oh he deserves a second chance thing'.. right, well so did the one they killed

[Aurelian]

Of course the justice system isn't fair! It involves punishment, doesn't it? Also, as long as the media get a say, they will spread all kinds of lies and influence decisions.

You all know about Scott Peterson, right? The guy who was sentenced to death for murdering his wife and unborn son? The was a heavily publisized case. Around the same time, in Colorado I believe, there was another case of the exact same thing. A man murdering his wife and unborn child. This case was never publisized. The man was also charged with murder, but guess what? He only got life in prison.

Another thing about the media is WHO they focus on. Look at the major cases for instance;

Elizabeth Smart, Molly Bish, Lacey Petersan, Jennifer "Runaway Bride" Willbanks, Natalie Halloway, ect.

What do they have in common? They are all rich young white females. Where are the tan or black skinned victims? Where are the poor victims? Where are the MALE victims? The media has a bad habbit of publisizing in a racist fasion, making a mockery of out judicial system.

That's another thing, I believe males are punished more severly then females. If a female gets rapes you hear

"Oh, the poor thing! I hope the man who hurt this defenseless girr gets the deatn penalty."

When it's a guy;

You mean a GUY got raped? Yeah right, he probably enjoyed it. besides, he could have wrestled her off.

Believe it or not, men can be victims off crimes, including rape, and be just as traumatized as women.

Our courts are racist, sexist, and any other kind of discrimnation you can think off.

I don't remember where I heard this, but I heard a single line that really opened my eyes;

America is a land of deversity, where everybody is a minority. Oh yeah, excpet the young, white, male!"

Sorry if that came of as being discriminating in any way, I guess I rambled to long.
[b]

[lion_roog]

I was wondering about that, too..when it came to cases like Elizabeth Smart and all...I was wondering, there are many children kidnapped, why is this one getting all the publicity? But that Amber alert thing is a good program.

[nafklt]

It's kinda weird here that you just get a slap on the wrist for selling drugs, like 2 months in jail or something. But I'm quite happy that there's no capital punishment here, only life sentence (which again is only =25 years). The last hanging was in 1962. Capital punishment was banned in 1976 after a 98 hour debate...:lol:

[Hanshilo]

i hate the law it is so F***ed up one of the things i heard about over here is it is now illegal to say happy christmas, or merry christmas, cause it is against the asians religion,they are really pushing their luck sooner or later the goverment are gonna lose all trust in the ppl, cause they are making so many bad desicions, the death row thingy, i only agree if the man/women confesses to doing it, but if they are called guilty and they are not then that is an innocent person losing their life, arrested for feeding squirrels, can't they get alife whats wrong with feeding animals... never hurt anyone, anyway life should be until they are dead and rotting in their cells, no offence to anyone here... but i am never voting for our goverment especially over here if i stay here, or even if i move abroad...:vitgrr:

[nafklt]

Originally posted by Hanshilo
i hate the law it is so F***ed up one of the things i heard about over here is it is now illegal to say happy christmas, or merry christmas, cause it is against the asians religion,they are really pushing their luck sooner or later the goverment are gonna lose all trust in the ppl, cause they are making so many bad desicions, the death row thingy, i only agree if the man/women confesses to doing it, but if they are called guilty and they are not then that is an innocent person losing their life, arrested for feeding squirrels, can't they get alife whats wrong with feeding animals... never hurt anyone, anyway life should be until they are dead and rotting in their cells, no offence to anyone here... but i am never voting for our goverment especially over here if i stay here, or even if i move abroad...:vitgrr:

Where do you live?

[Juniper]

Originally posted by Hanshilo
i hate the law it is so F***ed up one of the things i heard about over here is it is now illegal to say happy christmas, or merry christmas, cause it is against the asians religion,they are really pushing their luck sooner or later the goverment are gonna lose all trust in the ppl, cause they are making so many bad desicions

I really think someone's telling you some misinformation. They can't make it illegal to say Merry Christmas, I promise. At the most, government facilities aren't supposed to have things like nativity scenes displayed on their property, as it can be considered favoring one religion. Just consider the source of the information and if it sounds absolutely outrageous, like it being illegal to say "Merry Christmas", chances are it's been exagerated at least a bit.

As for the squirrels, the lady did break the law, as it was a law... for whatever reason. She was also taken to court once and they decided to give her a designated place to feed the squirrels, but she went outside that area. Yes, it may be stupid, but that was the law. If it makes ya feel any better, the courts are probably gonna just drop the sentence.

[nathalie]

Yeah, ok, she did break the law by feeding them, but such a punishment for that ... ?

[lion_roog]

Sometimes, the law needs to be broken...if it wasn't, then black people would still be having to sit in the back of the bus. Civil Disobedience

[Hanshilo]

I live in england....

and it is just silly and rediculous, i can't stand ppl who think they can do what they want, it annoys me,,, but then the one thing really than goverment that gets on my nerves is my mums boyfriend he is the biggest pain in the ***

[SpiritWolf77]

I'm personally against the death sentence...I don't believe -anyone- has the right to take another person's life, even as punishment for murder. Give them life in prison, but not the death sentence.

So I think in some cases, the judicial system is actually too harsh. But it's definitely too leniant sometimes too. The problem is, it's really corrupt, especially when the media gets involved. Here in CA for example...anytime a celebrity gets put on trial...that is headache after headache.