I’ve been discussing this subject on another board and was wondering what your take on it was.
We were discussing a case where a couple of teenagers stole a Stop sign. There was a traffic accident the next day as a result in which one person died. The teenagers were caught and charged with manslaughter as a result. However what if there hadn’t been a car accident? What if some traffic cop had reported the sign missing and the sign was replaced or a diversion set up before there was an accident? Should the kids who stole that stop sign be charged with the same offence as those whose theft caused a fatal accident? Shouldn’t everybody who steals a Stop sign be punished equally?
Sure, it is very sad that those people died. But if justice is meant to be a deterrent, shouldn’t the punishment for stealing a stop sign (with no accident) be more severe? Is manslaughter over the top for the other guys? The threat of a few hours’ community service (and the unlikelihood of being caught) is hardly a deterrent for a kid who thinks a stop sign would look cool in his bedroom.
Any action could potentially result in a loss of life if you split hairs about it. Should I go to jail for manslaughter if I drop a candy bar wrapper which someone slips on and cracks their skull?
Basically the question I’m working my way round to asking is this. Should we punish according to crime or consequence? Your thoughts?