Is it any wonder? »
A man convicted in 1970 to life in prison for stealing a $140 black-and-white television was recently released, after serving 35 years for his crime. My first instinct is to say "that's ridiculous". My second instinct, shortly after the first, is to say "no way I'm stealing a TV". Probably the exact message intended.
So where is the problem? I think it's in several places.
First, in the intervening years, Junior Allen saw the penalty for his crime reduced to just 3 years in prison. He's seen rapists and murderers go free in the time he spent for stealing a television set.
Second, and perhaps more importantly (sorry Junior), we've given ground. The recent release of The Longest Yard came out with a PG-13 rating, and at least one source claims the movie as no less brutal (on the field) than the original version, which scored an R.
This manifests itself in more ways at the movies. For instance, the previews have become much racier. The other day, when I took Nathan to see Revenge of the Sith, we saw previews for Fantastic Four, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Wedding Crashers. While the movies looked entertaining, I really don't think we needed references to getting drunk or watching ladies in lingerie drop to a bed under someone.
It's not that I'm against those things, and I may very well see some (or all) of the movies advertised. I'm just thinking that a Star Wars movie, even though chock-full of the testosterone-laden moviegoers that studios love, may not be the best place for this sort of advertisement. The movie is full of kids, too.
Meanwhile, we can't even be consistent. Change the rules so that the sentence is one-thirtieth of the prior length, and keep people locked up using the old yardstick? That makes no more sense than allowing a football team to keep the ball on a fourth down when they don't go ten yards!
