The Colector Crimes vs. Drug Crimes

Various crimes have select penalties in which they are accompanied with. As a part of the American way, fairness and justice is the prime concern in the court of law. However, some specific crimes do not seem to fit the punishment. Although these serious offenses are in fact crimes, their penalties coincide with unlawful acts that effect more people, and therefore should not be of the same punishment. Examples of these unequal ratios are the comparisons between murder and kidnaping laws to those of drug crimes. These offenses are indeed actions that effect more than one person in a negative way. The victims, along with their families and friends, are impacted dramatically when a person is lost, missing, or even dead. These effects last long after justice is served. But how well is this justice served? Are murderers on the same levels of drug offenders?

First degree murder is the most heinous crime with the harshest penalties in the American judicial system. No other offense will allow the same punishments to convicts, which honestly makes perfect sense. However, second degree murder calls for up to a $25,000 fine and/or four to twenty years in prison, (Rockton site). This crime, voluntary manslaughter, is the deliberate and intentional murder of a person. Along with this crime’s penalty, there is an equal punishment if the act was drug related. For possessing fifteen grams of cocaine without intent to sell, an offender will be exposed to the same consequences as if they would have shot and killed a young woman in the middle of a crowded building, (Hoffman Estates site). Possession of that amount of cocaine is indeed an offense, but does it equal the loss of a life? If this criminal was selling this amount, the charge should be higher since more people are affected. For example, it would be suicide if one were to overdose on the amount of cocaine, but if an overdose was a result of one’s sales, than this action would be dubbed involuntary manslaughter, or the unintentional act leading to a death. However, this consequence is only of possession, not supplying to another person who could harm themselves.

Another example of these extreme penalties is the common link between kidnaping and possession of methamphetamine. Possession of five grams of methamphetamine with intent to sell is obviously a disgusting way of life, but so is the abduction of a person.