Do you think there should be a general standard on the amount of years each crime warrents?

Question

Me personally I dont like the idea that once someone is convicted the amount of years in prison (or death) seems to pretty much be determined by how much the family seems to grieve and what the jurry or judge thinks.Personally if I had authority I would set the guidlines for what each crime should warrant.the guide lines today are really ridiculous.We might as well be back in the days of witch hunting and hanging for no very good reason.I would set:
Robbery:2-5yrs
Theft:4-9
Kidnapping:3-7yrs
Drugs:1-3
Prostitution:1-3
Murder:7-12
Masterminding:8-15

Honestly sentenceing today arn't really designed to correct criminals behavior;its more designed to lock them up and throw away the key,which is not good attitude to have at all.Yes,the crimes can be very haneous but thos crimanal are humn to and should deserve some tye of forgiveness right?

what do ya'll think

Mark 11-But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

Answer 1

Most crimes do actually have set times like you show. If you watch TV, they'll say things like, "If Mr. X is charged with (insert name here) crime, he'll be liable to go to jail for Y number of years if convicted."

Answer 2

Absolutely not! Think about the people who post in Immigration. They'd have illegal border crossers castrated for a first offense, and drawn and quartered for a second.

Orthers would make sure that anyone convicted of a sex crime (and that could mean an 18-year-old boy sleeping with his 17 1/2- year-old girlfriend in some places) incarcerated for life.

No, we have judges whose job it is to look at the entire situation, and I think we're locking up far too many people as it is, at least in the US. Americans seem to believe that it is someone else's job to keep them safe, and that locking up everyone but them is the best way to make that happen.

Mandatory sentencing has always been a very bad idea, in my opinion. It does not include anything about forgiveness! Nor about rehabilitation. It's about the vote, and we all know that those convicted can't vote. No, I think mandatory sentencing imposes longer jail times, not shorter.

Answer 3

Penalties should depend on the crime committed and not on the emotional aspect of the family of the victim as determined by the jury. The Penal code embodies the penalties for specific crimes and the jury must not overide what is written.

Answer 4

The problem is, each state has its own criminal codes, and the full authority to define its criminal laws however it wants (subject to constitutional limitations).

So, for your system to work, the states would all have to get together and agree to have a common system. It can't be imposed by the federal government because that's a violation of the 10th Amendment.