It's time business executives were jailed.

**barts** · 16th July 2012, 09:51 AM

It's not too far from fact to make the claim that the real crime section of the daily newspaper is the business section.

GlaxoSmithKline is fined $3 billion for illegally persuading psychiatrists to prescribe drugs to children.

Barclays bank was fined £290 million for manipulating the price of crucial interest rates that affect the cost of borrowing for millions of customers around the world.

BP faces $52 billion for their Gulf oil spill.

Let me suggest that given the widespread and pervasive criminality of today's larger corporations that fines are not enough. All that fines do is punish shareholders, not the perpetrators of the crimes.

To prevent corporate crime, prison sentences for board members, CEOs, and senior management should be mandatory in the case of any corporation found guilty of any criminality. The minimum sentence in all cases should be 2 years.

Until those who run companies personally pay a price for their company's crimes, crime will simply be a good business strategy. The only way to punish very wealthy people is to take time away from their lives, and that means prison.

I suggest that if corporate leaders always faced prison for nefarious behavior, crime would be deterred. I say this because we know fines are not a deterrent.

**Dieval** · 16th July 2012, 04:04 PM

Quote by: barts

To prevent corporate crime, prison sentences for board members, CEOs, and senior management should be mandatory in the case of any corporation found guilty of any criminality. The minimum sentence in all cases should be 2 years.

To prevent any crime anywhere, the minimum sentence in all cases should be 2 years.

**truthreality** · 16th July 2012, 04:13 PM

Quote by: Dieval

To prevent any crime anywhere, the minimum sentence in all cases should be 2 years.

I disagree. I believe a minimum of two years should be given for all sins. The only problem is everyone would be in jail.

**mbc85** · 16th July 2012, 04:31 PM

I am all for that barts. They keep getting a slap on the wrist when they deserve a beating, a time out, and their ps3 given away to their neighbor's kid.

**Senor Hoint** · 16th July 2012, 04:38 PM

I agree. Jail time is the only thing that can conceivably deter these guys.

**Dieval** · 16th July 2012, 05:07 PM

Quote by: mbc85

I am all for that barts. They keep getting a slap on the wrist when they deserve a beating, a time out, and their ps3 given away to their neighbor's kid.

A "$3 billion" fine is a a "slap on the wrist"? I'd hate to see your description of a "beating"...

**Dieval** · 16th July 2012, 05:08 PM

Quote by: truthreality

I disagree. I believe a minimum of two years should be given for all sins. The only problem is everyone would be in jail.

So you're suggesting we implement a theocracy....very interesting...I didn't expect that from you.

**Senor Hoint** · 16th July 2012, 05:12 PM

A "$3 billion" fine is a a "slap on the wrist"? I'd hate to see your description of a "beating"...

When fining them $3 billion is the equivalent of giving me a traffic ticket, then yes...

**truthreality** · 16th July 2012, 05:20 PM

Quote by: Dieval

A "$3 billion" fine is a a "slap on the wrist"? I'd hate to see your description of a "beating"...

You have to take into account how much damage they cause others. This damage is not restricted to financial pain.

**minorwork** · 16th July 2012, 05:44 PM

Damn, Barts. If you're gonna be so rough on those pikers what are you going to do with Congress? United States Budget Dilemma.wmv - YouTube

**barts** · 16th July 2012, 10:10 PM

Quote by: Dieval

A "$3 billion" fine is a a "slap on the wrist"? I'd hate to see your description of a "beating"...

Fining a corporation $3 billion does not affect the individuals who perpetrated the crime. The individuals who were in control of the corporation should endure the punishment, not the shareholders of the corporation.