Saturday, 10 November 2007

60 Years for Hacking, 6.5 Years for Murder!

Sometimes I really wonder about the judicial system in Sweden when a dangerous brutal murderer who stabbed and strangled his sambo to death can have his sentenced reduced from life to 10 years, which means in practice he could be out in maybe 6.5years.

What kind of deterrent is this? And what happens when this brutal man is released back into society?

And then you have a hacker in the USA who faces 60years in prison for infecting computers with a virus! It's crazy...

Murder must carry longer sentences because it a) Acts as a deterrent and b) keeps these dangerous individuals off the streets and c) gives people a long, long time to reflect on the damage they have done with their selfish actions.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's in USA.

Anonymous said...

You'll wonder about the Swedish juruducal system evn more once you get in conyact with it for once reason or another.
I have, and all I can conclude is that this system is a joke. A theatre of the lowest level where judges, lawyers and procecutors all act like c-movie stars. All that interests them is the power bestowed on them, never the the issue at hand or the people involved in the case. If they would take their jibs seriously, we wouldn't have so many "Pamplona" cases in such a small country like this. You do realize that *per capita* this country has a highger crime rate than the USA?
Like you, I will never become "native" here. I haven't even after 40 years in the country.

Swenglishman said...

Nicholas,

The point I was really trying to make was that 10 years max for a brutal murder is way way too low.

I agree that 60 years for hacking is excessive, but you also have to remember that in the US this guy might well have got the death penalty, or at least a real life sentence.

Anonymous said...

Analyzing a), b) and c) I believe you are over simplifying.

About a).
You say it acts as a deterrent. The premise for your argument is that this reduces the crime rate, the murder rate. Well, there is no evidence for this if you compare with countries with longer and more harsh sentences. Rather the opposite actually. So therefor a) doesn't hold.

About b)
Keeps these dangerous people of the streets you say.
That is surely the case, but again, the premise for you argument would be that this lowers the crime rate at a whole. And again studying different systems in the world, there is no evidence for this argument either.

I would say that the ripple effects of extremely long (American style) prison sentences would create even more violence in society. A prison sentence is not an isolated event, and the ripple effects will be growing ground for further violence:

There are families of the incarcerated suffering, there are bonds created in prison forming criminal structures, there is antagonism built up between criminals and the society at large, and most of all, prisons are very morally destructive environments. The more time you spend there, the more likely it is that you will come out as an even more violent person.

About c)
Spending time in a closed freedom deprived environment, surrounded by other heavy criminals is hardly a place for sound ethical contemplation.

/Manu

Zarkow said...

Rather inane post...comparing the murder of one (6.5 years) with the intrusion against 250.000 (60 years / 250 000 = 2.09 hours in jail per case).

Ian Bird-Radolovic said...

manu, You make good points but in any case being out in 6.5years is completely wrong, considering the devastating effect this will have had on the family of the murdered woman, who, lets not forget, leaves a motherless daughter behind.

Prison is also about punishing those who commit crime. So I should have had:

d) Punish people for being bastards.

I don't think you can compare a 10 year stretch in a US prison with 10 years in a Swedish prison anyway. And considering re-offending rates for violent criminals, I would still rather they be locked up.

zarkow,

What's your point? I was only comparing two cases of very different crimes with very different punishments. I don't care how many people were inconvienienced by a hacker, it still is not as bad as strangling the mother of your child to death in cold blood.

Anonymous said...

Considering the fact that in the US one who goes to prison will never get back out (in a real sence I mean). "You" guys send people in way to long.

If you lock someone up in prison for more than 10 years (or so) there is no point in releasing that person out again. That person is fucked for life and totally incapable of living any normal life.

So if you look at the tragic case that you mention. In Sweden there is a chance (not huge put still) that the murderer will be a saine person when he gets out while in the US he is totally fucked. Which means that you "lost" two people.

My main point is that the "feeling" of the American system is pretty close to the middle-east 'an eye for an eye' system while the rest of the western world, in my opinion, have gotten "further". Is it revenge you want? What legal system is that?

And the one who thinks that the Swedish legal system is a "joke" should really go and watch a "session". The one I went to watch was 'professional' and I have a great confidence in the people that work as there.

Anonymous said...

I don't care how many people were inconvienienced by a hacker, it still is not as bad as strangling the mother of your child to death in cold blood.

I have to completely disagree! The act of hacking is one if not the most pathetic and heinous forms of rape and murder, constructed by a disallusional form of mindset in thinking that the individual performing the crime is somehow a smart person and in his right for that reason when in fact nothing could be further from the truth. And comparing the Swedish and US systems is more like apples and oranges. I personally think that considering the amount of individuals that get raped by hackers and the amount of data that gets destroyed during these "rape sessions" and rape data made by them via webcams, microphones etc, those individuals performing such crimes should get an equal punishment per hack as to serial rapists and serial murderers! This may sound harsh to a lot of people but the fact still is that peoples attitudes towards these crimes are still in the illusionary state, meaning that a lot of people still dont see the reality behind persons who assertainly and systematically spend all their time and efforts in making and studying ways to break into peoples homes and spy on others. That to me is a crime equal to rape, murder, pedophilia, extreme violence and the likes of that!