MADD at one of their own

Yes. Different people have different lists. Some people have no lists and will forgive anyone for anything. Unfortunately, I'm not Christ-like and do not possess that gene. DUI makes my list.

 

Who called you a diva, Moddy? No offense (if diva is what you're going for), but you're about as non-diva as anyone I've ever had the pleasure of meeting.

 

So if they're unemployable, how are they supposed to support themselves and what is society supposed to do about it if they cannot work?

 

You really don't know people who got a DUI when they were young, who took the resulting penalties seriously and changed their lives for the better? Locking those people out of society and the workforce seems like it would only increase the damage.

 

Neither do I, as you already know regarding certain other "miistakes" people are willing to forgive and forget.

 

Can't say I do. At least, no one ever informed me of his or her DUI. It's entirely possible I know someone who got one and didn't tell me.

And that's the point. The damage to that person's life should be catastrophic. Not just a couple thousand dollar fine and a brief license suspension. If there's a happy middle somewhere between the current penalties and what I'm advocating, I'd be happy to discuss it.

 

I can't believe there are grown ass adults who go crying to a moderator. If you don't like a thread stay off of it or get a thicker skin. Why go running to the principals office?

 

I don't argue that penalties should be more severe -- higher fines, a longer suspension with no exceptions or restricted license, and a real and non-negotiable (three days or more) stay in jail for a first-time offender. That would change the whole outlook on the crime.

However, ruining someone's life for the next 50 years does seem to be a tad harsh.

 

I got a DUI in college, first year of graduate school in 1991. I was barely over the limit and, thank Tebow, didn't hit anybody.

 

I don't agree that it should amount to a life sentence, but I do think there probably need to be stiffer penalties, even if that means a two-year license suspension. Hell, five years. And advertise the hell out of it.

I think we might be coming at it from different angles, though. You see it primarily as punishment (a perfectly legitimate theory of criminal justice). I see it as front-end deterrence.

I'd be interested to compare whether the rates differ in states with different punishment schemes.

I definitely don't think someone is irredeemable for that particular offense (or any offense, really, even the worst felonies imaginable like murder and rape).