I need to study more about the philosophies of crime and punishment in this country because I am becoming more aware of the fact that my personal philosophies are incongruent with the mass's. I believe that prison/jail should have the sole purpose of keeping citizens safe from criminals while they are being rehabilitated. In yesterday's guilty verdict of Dr. Conrad M*rray, I do not see him as a threat to innocent citizens therefore I do not see prison as a logical punishment. Loss of medical license, yes. Monetary damages to the Jackson family, yes. Probation, yes. Some form of work program, possibly in a morgue, for an extended period of time, yes. Loss of certain priveleges by way of house arrest, yes.
Sending a man like him to prison does not solve anything. He was greedy and he was foolish and he was negligent but he is not a danger to society. Punish him in a manner fitting the crime but let him continue to be a productive citizen, that is what our country needs. Prison does not breed productive citizens and that is a different post that might be written at some point after much study and thought.
