Pubdate: Fri, 15 Mar 2013
Source: Trentonian, The (NJ)
Copyright: 2013 The Trentonian
Contact:  http://www.trentonian.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1006
Author: Jeff Edelstein
Page: A2

THE PUNISHMENTS DON'T FIT THE CRIME IN AMERICA

So former Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo is headed to jail for three 
years, and we can argue back and forth as to whether the punishment 
fits the crime.

But I'll tell where the punishment doesn't fit the crime: Just about 
everywhere else in our criminal justice system.

You ask me, there's a lot to be said for the threat of punishment 
(and actual punishment). In fact, the older I get, the more 
conservative I get when it comes to this idea. I want to leave a 
better world to my kids and grandkids and so on, and if that means 
getting the scum of the country off the streets and rotting away in 
6x8 cells, well ... so be it. (And rotting away, indeed. Jail should be hard.)

Consider these two numbers I'm cribbing from PBS Frontline: 65, 71. 
Those are the numbers, in months, the average rapist and murderer 
spend in prison.

What's going on here? Rape someone, do five years? Murder someone, do 
six years? How is this possible?

To compare, also from PBS: 42 months. That's the amount of time an 
average marijuana offender finds themselves in jail. Yep. Smoke a few 
joints, do three and-a-half years. Rape a woman, five years. Kill in 
cold blood, six years. This makes sense.

Can I give you one more? Sexual assault, including sexual assault on 
minors: 35 months. Less than three years. (A Pew study bears all this 
out, as it puts the average violent offender in prison for a total of 
4.8 years. And the study is arguing against longer prison sentences, 
for the record.)

This is crazy. Violent crime should result in long - long - prison 
sentences. Get these people off the street, now and forever.

Other countries do it a little differently than we do.

I'm no big fan of Iran, generally speaking, but the death penalty is 
on the books there for murder. And rape. And pedophilia, sodomy, drug 
trafficking, armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism and treason, 
according to the International Foundation for Human Rights. Well, 
take "sodomy and drug trafficking" off the table, and I'm signing off 
on this. I'd rather see "life imprisonment" for a few of these, but 
whatever. My conscience would be clear, as I don't intend on engaging 
in any murder, rape, pedophilia, armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism 
or treason anytime soon, and neither should you. And I don't want to 
live in a country where the risk/ reward for people engaging in those 
behaviors is out of whack. And it's out of whack here in the gool ol' 
U.S. of A., as those numbers above bear out.

And I don't want to hear anything about "it's the culture's fault" or 
"jail is not the answer" or any other of that misplaced liberal 
nonsense. I truly believe the threat of a guaranteed life in jail (or 
worse) would almost immediately have a profound effect on the quality 
of our lives.

(Quick word about drug trafficking, marijuana, etc: My idea only 
works if drugs are legalized. Drugs make people do crazy things. 
Legalize drugs, manage drug users, make sure they have access to both 
their drugs of choice as well as treatment, and the criminal element 
of drugs deflates quicker than a two-week old helium balloon. Heck, 
take everything else I've said today, throw it away, and just 
legalize drugs and ... the crime rate plummets. No question.)

So here's where we're at: Really violent people knowing the 
punishment does not fit the crime. Makes no sense. Violent crimes 
should be met with long jail time. Or with being booted to some 
deserted island. Or death.

I'd love to hear if you disagree with me. I'll probably have a hard 
time comprehending it, but I'm all ears. Raise the threats, follow 
through on the punishments and we'll all whistle a happy tune.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom