Crime and Punishment
In today’s world, there are horrible crimes being committed every day at a higher rate in different parts of the world. With the Boston marathon bombing being one of the latest. What has become of our society? When will this all end?
Have we just reached a stage in our so called evolution where we revert to becoming unthinking, uncaring barbarians with no conscience, driven by sex, drugs and greed? Because of horrific crimes like these each year According to
Wikipedia “In 2012, 43 inmates were executed in the U.S. and 3,146 were on death row. The death penalty is the harshest form of punishment actually enforced by the United States government”. (Wikipedia) In earlier eras, there were extremely severe penalties for stealing, murdering, or committing treason. The consequences of such lawbreaking activities were not always the same for different individuals, how you were treated if you were accused of a crime, depended on whether you were poor or rich, a commoner or a noble. Crimes were classified as either misdemeanors or capital offenses. Misdemeanors are described as a crime less serious than a felony and resulting in a less severe punishment. Misdemeanors include for example, prostitution, public intoxication, petty theft, trespass, vandalism, simple assault, disorderly conduct, reckless driving, first time possession of marijuana or other certain kinds of drugs. According to Phillips, “In the United States, misdemeanors are typically crimes with a maximum punishment of 12 months of incarceration typically in a local jail as contrasted with felons, who are typically incarcerated in a prison. Jurisdictions such as Massachusetts are a notable exception where the maximum punishment of some misdemeanors is up to 2.5 years. People who are convicted of misdemeanors are often punished with probation, community service, short jail term, or part-time imprisonment; served on the weekends.”(Phillips). Many
Have we just reached a stage in our so called evolution where we revert to becoming unthinking, uncaring barbarians with no conscience, driven by sex, drugs and greed? Because of horrific crimes like these each year According to
Wikipedia “In 2012, 43 inmates were executed in the U.S. and 3,146 were on death row. The death penalty is the harshest form of punishment actually enforced by the United States government”. (Wikipedia) In earlier eras, there were extremely severe penalties for stealing, murdering, or committing treason. The consequences of such lawbreaking activities were not always the same for different individuals, how you were treated if you were accused of a crime, depended on whether you were poor or rich, a commoner or a noble. Crimes were classified as either misdemeanors or capital offenses. Misdemeanors are described as a crime less serious than a felony and resulting in a less severe punishment. Misdemeanors include for example, prostitution, public intoxication, petty theft, trespass, vandalism, simple assault, disorderly conduct, reckless driving, first time possession of marijuana or other certain kinds of drugs. According to Phillips, “In the United States, misdemeanors are typically crimes with a maximum punishment of 12 months of incarceration typically in a local jail as contrasted with felons, who are typically incarcerated in a prison. Jurisdictions such as Massachusetts are a notable exception where the maximum punishment of some misdemeanors is up to 2.5 years. People who are convicted of misdemeanors are often punished with probation, community service, short jail term, or part-time imprisonment; served on the weekends.”(Phillips). Many