Crime and Punishment

Well, I wanted to start a topic about this for a while, but haven’t had the time to put a well thought out topic together, so now I do. Let’s go ahead and jump in then.

In our society, there are many laws set to protect our rights and guarantee our safety, and prosperity. Some, actually most, of the laws are there to stop the wrong doing before it happened by stating a possible consequence. My argument is that some of these punishments serve no purpose, and sometimes encourage the person to keep doing the action after and during the consequence. This, of course does not apply to every single punishment, but to a large lot of them.

Lets start with juvenile offences. If you break your school rules extensively enough, you may be expelled for a set period of time. In some cases this is a legitimate punishment, and should be imposed, some of these cases are battery, abuse, sexual harassment, or anything that physically damages the other person. Now on the other hand there are the other reasons for expulsion, the ones i disagree with; use of illigal drugs, theft, and defacing of property.

We'll start with illegal drugs. This is something i can relate to. Being expelled for possession or use of illegal drugs in school is a very useless and pointless punishment. You are isolated for a year, and forced to sit at home during school hours. The reason most youth used the drug in the first place was to escape a problem rather than face it, or need of attention and friends. Isolation does not help any of that, it just creates a larger problem for the child to deal with and really damages them. Instead of this punishment, they should have to have counseling, or a group they have to attend daily, with weekly drug tests, but should still be able to attend school, so they don't fall behind, and so they can solve their problems in a group.

Theft is a pretty common reason for expulsion, and while this seems fair; You stole, you can't be with a group of people seeing as you aren't trusted. It really does not benefit the person. It may force change upon him, but it may be temporarily, and would usually just continue after a while. This does not change the persons behavior, at all, and yet again just isolates him to an extreme degree. This problem needs to be tackled a different way, the person who stole needs to be put under very monitored and maintained checks, and be sitting in the front of the class, with counseling or group meetings daily for that year, in which the group/consoler try to find the root of why the person stole, and how it can be stopped.

Defacing of property is a scream for attention, and just the need to be heard by someone or something. Expelling them would help in some cases, but in other cases the principle needs to sit down with the offender, and find out what drove them to deface the property, and see if the problem is solvable, if it is, within reason, the principle/main person should explain that there are very much better ways to get a message across, and try to actively help with the problem the person is having.

I will add more later once I get a few arguments and constructive posts. Thanks.

 

So this argument is more along the lines of the severity of the punishment? Anyway, this is one of the very few threads I read fully because usually "like this one" it wasn't needed. Only the first portion mainly.


I agree with most of the things you said, but over where I live at, 1 drug count is 90 days of alternative school, not sure if you can have a second, but my friend didn't. I do agree that they shouldn't be expelled, but they had the substances on campus. Which is retarded to do in the first place.

 

Don't really know what you mean by it wasn't needed, but alright. Here for any drug charges it's a year of expulsion or a year of alternative. Thanks for the post.

 

at our school drug related incidents are immediate suspension. same with theft and graffti.however violence just 1 fight or 1 ass grab etc will get you expelled.

 

I guess most schools take it easier on drugs then the ones here. Violence, I belive should be punished with isolation, seeing as the person has to start a fight instead of trying to talk it out, isolation will only help the person realize his wrong doings and slip ups, so I belive that those expulsions are justified.

 

That's very odd, I've never seen/heard of a school that turns to expulsion for violence. I have also never been informed of anyone being expelled for the usage of spray paint, which usually doesn't occur in my school. Also, I would think they wouldn't take drug usage and theft on a higher scale than violence. In any schooling system, most drug discoveries and thefts result in immediate removal of the student, as these practices are far worse than fighting, which occurs on a daily basis.

I don't think the reason they expel you for drugs is because they want to help you, they could care less if you return to/use drugs at all afterward, it's mainly that they don't want that type of student in their learning environment. The world is rough and second chances are rare for serious offenses and usually schools don't condone them or entertain second chance pleas.

 

Fightings a big deal at our school because at the end of last year there was a massive rumble on the field. over 350 people just beating the fuck out of each other. 13 teachers were injured. 43 people were hosiptialised. thats why its expulsion.

 

Wouldn't you agree that having drugs/drug paraphernalia is much more serious than fighting with someone? I think it's a bit foolish to not have expulsion as the consequences for something which is taken seriously even out in the real world or in public.

 

well in new zealand drugs arent really that bad. i mean if your dealing youll get sent to juvi but like smoking weed and having like a tini is just 2 weeks suspension.

can you imagine that though? 350 people on the field all having a big ass fight? honestly in my sick demented head i liked it ( just because it was last period on the last school day of the year, and it was just a big huge rebelion riot that started with 3 people)it was awesome. except for all the injuries.