2006-12-23 00:59:34 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
Lilac, were you there?
2006-12-23 01:06:38 · update #1
Depends upon what you consider a 'crime'.
The more acts you deem 'criminal' the more crime seems to occur.
The more narrow and specific you define crime and criminal/abnormal behavior, the less crime you have.
Of course, we all commit crimes at one point in our life. Stealing a cookie from a kitchen plate is still a 'crime', although it doesn't merit a felony offense. And even if you eat it at the store, you should only be held until someone can come over and 'pay' for the damages you incurred, or you are required to perform supervised work in order to pay off your debt (an hour of work would teach you not to eat again, or to be prepared to work for it if you do).
Most of the big crimes do not change (murder, rape, burglary, etc) but it is when you start nitpicking, that the law becomes unwieldy and zealous. The U.S. learned you can legalize booze and still arrest drunk drivers or alchoholic abusers, whereas people who drank booze before the 18th ammendment were arrested and classified being of equal danger as murderers and kidnappers.
Of course, to whom is applied the letter of the law has alot to do with it. If more blacks are arrested for drug prevention and sent to prison, while whites are put on probation, then you either have a bias built into the legal system or an unresolved problem concerning drugs. Fair and broad application of law is the goal, but anything else can make it seem a failure.
2006-12-23 01:15:45 · answer #1 · answered by Khnopff71 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We are unlawful... If we were less zealous about policing even the minor offenses, the "sliding spectrum" of acceptable societal behaviors in our country would become more permissive and we would see more crimes of all sorts.
2006-12-23 02:49:59 · answer #2 · answered by days_o_work 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
This is a "it depends" moment.
There clearly is an element of problematic people with real issues, who rape, murder, cheat people out of money, etc.
But we are also filling our prisons with "drug criminals" through this ridiculous "War on Drugs" that we have undertaken. Complete waste of time --- we could save a lot of money and prison space by eliminating the criminal penalties related to buying and selling drugs.
2006-12-23 01:08:08 · answer #3 · answered by myopenhandsguy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well, from the beginning of time man has been unlawful. After all Cain did kill Abel.
2006-12-23 01:04:39 · answer #4 · answered by lilac45maine 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
over zealous eager to please their boss police,can make a criminal out of their own gran if need be!
2006-12-23 01:04:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
A little of both.
2006-12-23 01:00:52 · answer #6 · answered by Texan 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋