Returning to Judicial CP makes the Washington Post

The following acticle advocating corproal punishment made the Op/Ed page of the Washington Post this morning. Enjoy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/in-lieu-of-prison-bring-back-the-lash/2011/06/ 10/AGBIpUWH_story.html

Twisted, you come up with THE most interesting news facts - you must be have great google alerts going or something. I am appalled at the incarceration rate in the USA - it's absurd. Not only are WAY too many people in prison, prison time makes people nearly unemployable, so, so, so... let's see... what will they do to get by??? Oh, yes - I think I can work to the end of that.

I could never favor the idea of flogging per se, but we MUST come up with better ways of punishing than locking people up for years and years.

Murderers, child molesters, people who break into houses - sure, they're a DANGER - Devil's Island is fine. But, non-dangerous crimes - no way.

I heard someone on the radio some time ago make a really good comment on that. He said, we're locking up people that we're mad at when we ought to focus on locking up people we're afraid of.

Same problem in gthe UK. Recently our justice minister announced a proposal to drastically reduce the sentences of those who pleaded guilty immediately. Unfortunately he included rapists and was soon embroiled in a nightmare situation which he made worse by suggesting that not all rapes are equal.
The proposals just like the badly thought out proposals to re-organise our very inefficient health service were soon binned.

How about Bernie Madoff? Arguably the biggest swindler of all time. Should he get by without jail time?

(Sorry, I love to explore a proposition by digging around in its ragged edges.)

In Florida there is a criminal who stole so much money from the government that he ended up paying some $1.7 billion in criminal and civil fines. What did the citizens of Florida do with him? They elected him Governor!

Madoff is the classic example that folks use in cases like this. Madoff or other swindlers like Ken Lay. And, yes, I'll stand by what I said above. I'd rather Madoff walk the streets than taking up three hots and a cot for another 15 or 20 years while the taxpayers foot the bill for his health care.

The correct punishment for swindlers and Ponzi schemers, in my opinion, comes from the Eddie Murphy-Dan Akroyd movie, "Trading Places." As they're bringing down the brothers and their investment firm, Eddie's character says, "If you want to really hurt rich people, turn them into poor people..." These guys hide the money with family members, like a shell game, but society should have the ability to suck back every penny they have - and keep on sucking until they and anyone to whom they gave it "in trust" is penniless.

My take (and I am, admittedly, not an expert but merely a layman and a "backseat driver") is that the policy in England in former times - i.e. giving a sound birching on the bare bottom to juvenile delinquents - helped to keep the crime rate down at least a little bit. And that was something - wasn´t it? I say that there is *no* rational objection to *moderate* (i.e. not Singapore-style) corporal punishment - especially for first-time offenders.

Yes, I do believe in flogging naughty woman. Yes, 25 lashes of a birchrod, cane, or whip, on these female bare bottoms are perfect. Yes, these floggings should take place in every village, town, or city. the perfect place to erect a whipping post, and a judge of that district would have the right to sentence her to this severe punishment. With all to witness, her humiliation.

Get real guys. You'll be calling for capital punishment next.

Madoff was given a ridiculous sentence. The guy swindled gullible and greedy rich people out of all their lovely money! Could anything possibly be worse than that? He is not a danger to the public just a danger to the gullible and greedy! In the UK he would have got 4 or 5 years in an open prison.

By all means lock up the muggers, the molesters etc but non violent criminals should be kept out of prison. It is tempting to suggest corporal punishment might work on young offenders but I think it would solve nothing. The reasons for the increase in crime are in a large part due to the break up of family life. Children need good role models!