Re: LEGAL: Alternatives to imprisonment

Timothy Bates (tbates@karri.bhs.mq.edu.au)
Thu, 04 Mar 1999 15:44:45 +1100

T0Morrow@aol.com said roughly
> Randy Barnett has written extensively on the benefits of. I've found quite
> convincing [Randy Barnett's] arguments requiring that criminals pay their
> victims receive restitution, as an alternative to imprisoning or killing
criminals.

The proviso I would add is that the restitution has to be full and complete. Typically what happens now is someone burns your car, they get caught, the restitutive judge says "oh, you have to make restitution" and that is that. They do not take into account enforcing this and setting a time limit.

Plus, what do you do with the typical criminal who even if you enslaved him for a year would not be worth the damage he did?

tim