Murder and Robbery

05.26.2006 by Tim Reed

Wish I could have worked sex into the title somehow, that really would have gotten your attention.

Anyway on to my point. According to the DoJ the average time served for murder is 10.5 years.

Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling, who were Enron executives, have been found guilty. Both will likely spend the rest of their lives in prison with Skilling facing 185 years in prison.

If you want to make the argument that western society values money more than people this is a great example. I’m not really sure how a society can justify punishing theft and fraud 18.5 times more harshly than murder.

Edit:
One point that has been made to me is that they should be kept in prison forever because if they get out they will live off of the millions they scammed from other people. Is that true? I don’t know. But if it is true apply the same standard to murderers. A murderer takes the life of his victim and gets to keep his own. Skilling and Lay took money from other people and may get to take keep their own. Are not both injustices that a proper system of justice should correct?

One Response to “Murder and Robbery”

  1. Steve Carr Says:

    I have yet to figure out what good sentencing an individual to life in prison does. If you decide that someone committed a crime so heinous that they shouldn’t be allowed to assimilate back into society, then they’re likely deserving of loosing their lives. I just don’t get it.

    And this 185 years in prison? Makes no sense either. Am I supposed to feel better because he was sentenced to years that he’ll never serve?

    Sidenote: I miss Matlock.

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