- Justice ought to be given to all the people regardless of their social and economic status. In a situation where a body to administer justice is influenced by external factors, it becomes difficult to be relevant to the people (Schmalleger, 2013). In cases in which a state government influences sentencing by considering the prevailing economic issues, is not a simple issue to determine among its legality.
The consideration of the impacts of putting someone in prison, or on probation is a necessary issue so that people can continue to participate in the economic activities. I would support the states governments that advocate for alternative punishments that allow people to engage themselves in economically productive works. My support is because of the double advantage of the punishment since the convicted pays some money to the government and is set free to continue with his or her economic activities that raise the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a nation.
- All people in a state ought to have equal rights and privileges in the matters to do with the law. This implies that regardless of the health condition of a patient, one should have the rights to enjoy life like any other person in the society (Schmalleger, 2013). If I were a pre-sentence officer with an obligation to give recommendations to a judge concerning sentence of a mentally ill criminal, I would recommend a thorough investigation on the relationship between the crime and the mental condition.
This consideration is important so that the judge does not administer unnecessary incarceration to a person who could not commit a crime if he or she was not under the influence of his or her condition. This will ensure protection of the rights of the mentally ill in the face of the law that demand certain punishment to certain people.
Reference
Schmalleger, F. (2013). Criminal justice: A brief introduction. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
