I have always been baffled by why white collar crime is so lightly punished, esp

Question

I have always been baffled by why white collar crime is so lightly punished, especially when committed by politicians. I live in a high crime area and I see people going away for years for robbing convenience stores and small banks. However, a lady working with the county treasurer was caught stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars and only received probation. Do you think that she should have received at least the same sentence as the one who stuck up the convenience store or do you think that the disparity is appropriate?

Explanation / Answer

Punishment is awarded against the crime not only on the basis of crime, but also its impact upon the people, the fear it creates, the impact upon the value and belief of the people in a system, regulatory mechanism and ability of the system to establish an example that can thwart the rime. A crime of robbery in a small bank and the stealing of funds in an office look very similar, but create different impact. If crime of robbery in a small bank takes place, then it requires stringent action to set an example, otherwise everyone in need of funds, will follow the same route and anarchy in society will spread. So, impact of the crime is huge, so the punishment level is also high. In contrast to it, an employee stealing funds in the office, if the fault of the system, but it does not make anybody capable to do the same as office accounts cannot be accessed by few people unlike the banks that can be accessed by everyone. So, scope of repetition of crime is limited. Hence, the punishment level is different to what is given when somebody makes robbery.
Yes, it can be said that putting a person on probation is not a punishment that will act as a deterrent, but it requires system reforms and provision of stringent punishment to people on the basis of crime they commit. But, it cannot be put as same as that crime done in a public space if the impact is same. Law is same for everyone, but it is the context, the degree of impact and intention of the punishment as a deterrent and lesson that make the difference in awarding the punishment or sentence.

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