Nikki Keisler
North County Times
"'Barefoot Bandit' gets more than 7 years for spree."
http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/backpage/barefoot-bandit-gets-more-than-years-for-spree/article_f0f5a444-3557-54a4-a5f6-04c074fa41f3.html
Government or Crime and Punishment
In this article a 20 year-old man pleaded guilty to stealing peoples boats, planes, and cars for over 2 years. He told the judge that he had been abused as a child but the judge took no mercy in sentencing him to over 7 years. He had a long record of stealing food because his mother allegedly his mother deprived him of food. HIs record also includes stealing sunglasses and other things. He said when he goes to prison he will be focusing on studying to get into college.
This connects to what we are studying because this is modern crime and punishment. Back in the time of the colonies people also stole things like food but the punishments were quite different. People that stole in the colonies were subject to whipping, being jailed in harsh environments and being branded. In our time if you commit a crime you can go to jail but people can't be subject to things like whipping, public humiliation, or being stretched. This are two thing are similar because they are the same crimes but, they are different because they have different punishments.
This connects to my life as a citizen because everyday people convicted of crimes and my was once on a jury deciding someones fate. People today are welcome to view trials and prosecutions. This relates to my life personally because when I become a legal adult I have a duty as a citizen to go to jury duty so people have a fair trial. Every one that is a citizen has to go to duty if called. THis insures that the government is fair likely unlike the colonies government.
My opinion on this topic is that the young man should have gotten jail time because he did something illegal and their should be consequences. For example if they let him out in, lets say 1 years, then he would have done it again, likely. He would likely continue to do this because if he didn't get punished severely this time they who's to say he would the next. On the contrary I do think cruel and unusual punishment is unacceptable. I aslo believe that execution is part of cruel and usual punishment because if you think about it death could be easier than going crazy in jail.
