Two thieves are arrested for identical crimes. Criminal A stole for his hungry family. Criminal B stole for himself. Should Criminal A serve less time?
It depends on what they stole :-) Stealing a loaf of bread or food should carry a lower sentence than stealing other items.
But, in general, no, I dont want prison terms given out on the basis of "what the person was thinking." It gets into a slippery slope of legislating our minds. Just the same as I dont think hate crimes should carry a higher sentence than the same crime committed without racial dislike.
I honestly didn't know what I thought when I first saw this post. My mind immediately jumped to Les Miserables, and the story of Jean Valjean. I couldn't find the exact quote but this is from google and my memory: "There was just glass between me and not being hungry anymore, so I broke it..."
Which obviously makes one pity the character and his situation. Now, some may feel Criminal A deserves a lesser sentence for being selfless, assuming Criminal B was also stealing because he was hungry.
I'd like to point out the fact that we don't know if these criminals could pay for whatever it was they stole, or if they even stole food.
Heck, Criminal A could've stolen a big screen TV for his hungry family for all we know, while his "hungry family" was sitting down to dinner
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But, in general, no, I dont want prison terms given out on the basis of "what the person was thinking." It gets into a slippery slope of legislating our minds. Just the same as I dont think hate crimes should carry a higher sentence than the same crime committed without racial dislike.
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Which obviously makes one pity the character and his situation. Now, some may feel Criminal A deserves a lesser sentence for being selfless, assuming Criminal B was also stealing because he was hungry.
I'd like to point out the fact that we don't know if these criminals could pay for whatever it was they stole, or if they even stole food.
Heck, Criminal A could've stolen a big screen TV for his hungry family for all we know, while his "hungry family" was sitting down to dinner ( ... )
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