[ExI] Proposition 47 has passed in California

Mirco Romanato painlord2k at libero.it
Mon Nov 10 20:27:10 UTC 2014


Il 10/11/2014 21:07, BillK ha scritto:

> That's the 'broken windows' / 'zero tolerance' theory of how minor
> crimes should be dealt with.

> What California has found is that jailing minor offenders for long
> periods is costing the state millions of dollars that they would
> rather not spend. So, as the population object to the increased taxes
> that would be required, an alternative had to be found.

There is a difference from jailing people for short time for minor
offenses and jailing them for long time.

The long time sentence is criminogen, because it make little difference
from a serious offense and a minor one.
If they put people in jail for ten years the third time they stole a
pizza, there is little difference from stealing pizza or robbing a bank
so any rational actor will go for the bank ceteris paribus.

Make it a one week or one month jail time (and make them do the time)
and this become dissuasive for the criminal and will not persuade him to
move up the ladder of crime.

If the cost of the penalty is too low, it stop to be dissuasive and
become persuasive to continue to do so.

We all agree that fining JP-Morgan for 10% of the profits they made
breaking every laws known to  man is not dissuasive, just persuasive.
More so if they can put the fine in the balance and claim a tax
reduction from it.

Mirco



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