Is this legal?
why is it that two people commiting the same crime get two different sentences?? i mean sometimes it works for the rich person advantage, they might get off or get probation for something they did wrong but other times they have to pay a bigger fine. if i hit you in the face and you sued me you wouldnt get nothing. George Clooney hit you in the face and you got a million dollar lawsuit?
The reason for different punishments is because that not every one is equal in their place in the social hierarchy. For some people to get the equal amount of treatment from the court there are different punishments to effect the same amount of change in behavior.
The previous effectiveness of punishment must be considered as well. If a person is a habitual offender there must be stronger punishments required to deter the specific actions of that person. Where as a first timer would usually only need the minimum amount of punishment to deter future acts of disobedience.
No its not right but thats the way are country works. Its all about the money. They said it in scarface 'first you get the money then you get the power'.
Answer:
Thats what money does. It's a really messeed up thing.
you are mixing some concepts
From a criminal point of view - often sentencing will consider the criminal history of the person - for instance someone that is a repeat offender will often (and should) get a stiffer sentence than a first offender for the same crime. Monetary damages are often assessed the same way
Criminal offenses often give rise to civil proceedings - where a victim will sue the perpetrator - the standards of evidence are much lower here and the awards are often tied to how wealthy the defendant is
Sometimes this does not work all that well and legislatures will pass mandatory sentencing - which levels the playing field
Broadly, I think, this makes sense. Hope this helps
i always think that there are 2 different law,one for the poor and one for the Rich's,it's like when Paris Hilton went to jail.If it was me who got arrested for drinking i would still be in jail.
Your confusion about civil and criminal matters muddies the water a bit, but to respond to the primary question about different sentences for people committing identical crimes, there are many factors. Sentences are imposed by judges who select from a broad range of available sentences. Each judge has his own view of the world. Some defendants express remorse for their crime. Some express disdain for society. Some show their future dangerousness. Some show a one-time deviation. Some defendants have long criminal records. Some do not. Some committ their crimes in an urban environment and some are rural. Some are young and some are old. I imagaine that if I wished, I could come up with dozens of legitimate distinctions between any two people who committ identical crimes. Each of those distinctions could affect the sentence that judge selects from the allowable range of sentences.
