Hillary's Crime Plan: Specifics as to Increased Punishment
Posted on Fri Apr 11, 2008 at 01:43:46 PM EST
Tags: Hillary Clinton, 2008 (all tags)
In reading through Hillary Clinton's new anti-crime proposal (background here), my chief interest was who, if anyone, would be subject to increased penalties and what new crimes would she create. My own position is that our criminal sentences, both state and federal, are already draconian and don't need to be raised any higher. We can't jail ourselves out of our crime problem. Smarter approaches are needed.
Here are the existing crimes for which Hillary would ask for greater sentences and the new crimes she would create:
- Online Child Exploitation, Online Sales of Prescription drugs to Minors, and Computer Fraud and Identity Theft
Hillary will direct the Attorney General to crack down on online child exploitation and harassment through three steps:
- Hillary will sign a new law that makes it a federal crime for an adult to cyberstalk a minor.
- Enlist the private sector to crack down on online prescription drug sales to kids. Hillary will ask credit card companies to prohibit – and police – the use of their services for illegal drug sales to minors. ... At the same time, she will strengthen penalties against fly-by-night online pharmacies that prey on children.
[More...]
- Hillary will expand enforcement of and increase penalties for identity theft and other cybercrimes. She will... strengthen federal criminal penalties for identity theft when the victim is a minor...
- Increase the sentences for people convicted of identity theft, computer fraud, illegal wiretapping, and unlawful access to stored information.
- Authorize additional criminal restitution in identity theft cases to compensate victims and impose expanded criminal forfeitures.
Meth Crimes:
- Make it a federal crime to manufacture or distribute a controlled substance – including meth – that is colored, packaged, or otherwise altered in a way designed to appeal to kids and young people.
Corporate Crime
- Hillary will direct her Attorney General to report to her on this practice [granting deferred prosecutions to corporations], reduce its use, and increase the number of serious and meaningful prosecutions of corporate criminals.
Conversely, here are the penalties she would reduce:
At the federal level, Hillary will reform mandatory minimums for non-violent offenders, starting by eliminating the mandatory minimum for simple possession of crack cocaine and eliminating the disparity between crack and powder cocaine.
As to penalties she leaves alone, her anti-gang portion of the plan and the provisions applicable to guns, don't call for increased penalties.
The vast majority of her plan is directed to prevention and furthering coordination of local and federal law enforcement efforts. In a nutsell,
Her agenda is built on the idea of partnership. The federal government will serve as a partner with states, counties and communities – supplying the necessary resources, innovative practices and technological support to help states and local governments confront the evolving challenges of crime and hometown security.
Hillary’s crime agenda will address the urgent challenge of violent crime rates and homicide, and work to close the prison revolving door, protect children and families from 21st Century threats like methamphetamine and online child exploitation.
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