Make your own Sentencing Guidelines for Crimes

[BillyTheMountain]

Assume First Offense, No Prior Criminal Record, Adult, No unusual extenuating circumstances.

How much time would you sentence for the following crimes?

Murder:
Manslaughter:
Criminally Negligent Homicide (killing someone by accident while driving drunk)
Rape
Statutory Rape (18 year old girl with her 16 year old boyfriend, his parents press charges)

Shoplifting
Burglary
Robbery of person
Bank Robbery

Sale of Cocaine (1 ounce)
Sale of Heroin (1 ounce)
Sale of Marijuana (1 ounce)

Possession of Cocaine (1 ounce)
Possession of Heroin (1 ounce)
Possession of Marijuana (1 ounce)

Marriage fraud (helping an immigrant become a citizen)
Telephone harassment (leaving a telephone message angrily calling the person dirty names)

Go.

[monkeyman]

25 years-life
I've never been exactly sure of the difference between manslaughter and homicide. So...pass.
5-25 years
Life in prison; no parole
In my justice system, this would not exist. Let people make their own mistakes...if it's consensual, it's not rape.

I'm combining all of the robbery into one thing...I can't instantly think of a reason to separate them...convince me otherwise if you disagree. I would set a minimum of 3 months for smaller offenses, and no matter the degree, the stolen goods must be repaid. If it puts you into bankruptcy, too bad.

There would be no drug laws, therefore no prison sentences

I fail to see why the government should have any say in who I marry. No law.
Oh boo hoo, someone got called a nasty name. If it's not continuous (calling someone while ticked off once is understandable...calling them 8 times in 3 days isn't), and it's not threatening, there would be no sentence. If it were truly harassment or threatening, then 1 week minimum, just for cooling off time.

[dudewithasock]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

I've never been exactly sure of the difference between manslaughter and homicide. So...pass.

I think that manslaughter, due to its full name 'involuntary manslaughter', is when someone dies by your actions but you had no willful intent to kill that person. I think mostly it's in vehicular manslaughter. Usually the consequences are less severe than for a homicide.

[monkeyman]

So what's the difference between that and criminally negligent homicide?

[dudewithasock]

Originally Posted by monkeyman

So what's the difference between that and criminally negligent homicide?

From the sound of it, not much. It's all just semantics in that rulebook anyway.

[James_Potter]

I basically agree with Alex on most of 'em...except for manslaughter I think there would be no charge. Because, if you hit someone with your car because they ran out in front of you without looking, you'd already feel guilty enough, no punishment is going to fix anything. Since there's really nothing to fix, it was no one's fault, it was nothing but an accident.

[dudewithasock]

Originally Posted by James_Potter

I basically agree with Alex on most of 'em...except for manslaughter I think there would be no charge. Because, if you hit someone with your car because they ran out in front of you without looking, you'd already feel guilty enough, no punishment is going to fix anything. Since there's really nothing to fix, it was no one's fault, it was nothing but an accident.

The usual reason for that is a DWI...which I think should be punished.

[forrestunifreak]

Originally Posted by dudewithasock

The usual reason for that is a DWI...which I think should be punished.

Driving While Influenced? Isn't that the same as DUI?


And yeah, me too.

[Buddy]

Driving While Intoxicated compared to Driving Under the Influence. I'm pretty sure they're the same thing.

[Gilby]

Intoxicated is when you are legally drunk. Influence is when you have some in your system.

[Buddy]

Woah, that makes sense. I never thought about that. Thanks Gilby.

[unisteez]

Originally Posted by BillyTheMountain

Statutory Rape (18 year old girl with her 16 year old boyfriend, his parents press charges)

i think the boy deserves a high five.
maybe a cookie.

[wickedbob]

Originally Posted by unisteez

i think the boy deserves a high five.
maybe a cookie.

I totally agree. He should be awarded something that is if she is hot. Also some condoms to go with that cookie safe side.


On the other hand if it is like a 25 year old dude/chick with like a 14 year old boy/girl I believe some action should be taken. Where exactly do you draw the line in age? I mean if one is 17 or something like yeah not to big of a deal to most, but where do you draw the line? There has to be some where. Also what if the boy/girl was tricked some how or what if physiological devices(for lack of a better word-not actual things like brain controllers for the de-de-de's) came into play (Would that even count as Statutory rape then?-excuse me for my ignorance on this subject I am not the most knowledgeable person by far). What age do you think a person should be to give their own consent?

[monkeyman]

This is a hard subject to deal with, because it deals with a set of values that are so vastly different. Some parents exercise (or attempt to exercise) vast control over their child's sex life, others let their child experiment and make their own mistakes. I think the only fair option is to put the power in the hands of the parents who, as much as some hate to admit it, have control over their kids and their well-being. The decision as to whether what is occurring is "good" or "bad" should be left up to the parent.

If the parents decide that what is going on is inappropriate, they should be able to file charges, or take some sort of legal action to defend their child from what they see as an injury. Of course, it's not hard to envision an overprotective (by today's standards) parent freaking out over an 18 year old kissing their 16 year old...I don't think many of you would argue that the 18 year old deserves legal action for a goodnight kiss, so some form of warning may be needed.

But, of course, you don't want to simply warn someone who has just seriously molested your child, so we're now back to where we started. With our own personal values of what is right and wrong, and no fair way to put them into law.

Hmmm...what do y'all think?

[wickedbob]

I agree with most of that, but what if the parents are not active in their childs life should anybody else have a say?