General Paper | Concept Page Society: Crime & Punishment What kind of punishment is appropriate?

Case Studies: Eric Smith He was a loner, often tormented by bullies for his protruding low-set ears, thick glasses, red hair and freckles. He was responsible for the murder of a 4 year-old boy when he was 13. Smith was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to the maximum term then available for juvenile murderers. While in jail, Smith wrote an apology letter to the victim's family; he read it on public television. He has been denied parole five times since 2002. As of April 9, 2010, Smith is still at Clinton Correctional Facility. Thoughts: He has been in jail for more than 17 years. At the time of his crime, he was only 13 years old. That is still of a juvenile age and seeing from his background, he actually had a troubled childhood. This is a justifiable point to take note of because this would have affected his mental well being growing up, and hence cause him to have the tendency to inflict harm on a younger child. If a mental illness was what caused the problem, then putting him being bars was definitely inappropriate because it does not help to solve this issue. Instead, seeking psychiatric help would be of better use, as this would address the concerns of the convicted party. Putting him in jail may only separate him from public and ensuring that he does not cause any danger during his sentence. When released, he may experience a relapse of this mental illness and therefore bring harm to the community again. It is vital that the root of the murderers actions be discovered when determining the punishment given to him as it can help improve his life, as well as the rest of the community.

Michele Hare She was accused with what we would consider to be family disputes, unfairly reported and antagonistically initiated by disgruntled, adult stepchildren. Michele never had the chance to report her statement to the police in Dutchess County. Instead, she was thrown out of her own home, jailed, bailed herself out of jail with $10,000 cash and lost everything she owned in the process. Her stepchildren would call the police on Michele for the slightest family argument and victimize her by alleging verbal abuse. The Town of Poughkeepsie Police and the Dutchess Family Court system used extreme punishment in this case and this woman was served with a two year Order of Protection and forced out of her own home. Thoughts: This is an obvious case of inappropriate punishment as the court was treating Michele with a biased judgment. She was being mistreated by her own family but the members of the court did not think that there was any wrong in that and instead, was on the side of her family and gave her a punishment that was much more severe than something she did not commit. She was always being blamed and accused for the wrong doings. The punishment she received is equivalent to what a criminal that inflicts harm on the public, but in this case, she is only involved in minor domestic arguments but have to face charges that dismisses her of own possessions.

Singapore Drink-Driving Punishment Depending on the kind of havoc wreaked, two sets of laws govern drink-driving cases: the Road Traffic Act and the Penal Code. Fail a breathalyzer test at a police roadblock and it's a maximum $5,000 fine or a six-month jail term for the drunk reveler. Second-time and subsequent offenders can be fined up to $30,000, and be imprisoned for up to three years. All offenders will also be disqualified from driving for at least a year, or longer if the court deems fit. Drive drunk and kill someone and the Penal Code, which governs crime and punishment, could be thrown at you, receiving up to six strokes of the cane. For causing death by rash or negligent acts not amounting to culpable homicide, you could be locked away for two years and fined. Thoughts: The punishment set for the drink-driving offense is appropriate in dealing with the offender as it specifically deals with the problem where the driver does not take his responsibilities on the road seriously. By taking away his driving license, it would teach him a hard lesson of not taking this privilege for granted. In Singapore, there are numerous campaigns to curb this problem of drink driving and it has been observed that there was a slight drop in the number of fatalities in 2011 compared to 2010 in the same period of time. Despite these efforts by the government, people still commit the crime. It is therefore relevant to fine offenders, or even put them behind bars, as they have deliberately breached the laws set to keep the country safe and peaceful. Imposing on them a heavier fine on their second offense can act as deterrence and prevent future incidents from happening. However, it is also important to continue educating and reminding drivers their responsibilities, as they are not the only users on the road. It is a personal commitment to either drink or drive, but not be involved with both at the same time.