Quote:
Originally Posted by HansTWN
Exactly. And the major part of the savings that law enforcement provides for society is crime prevention. A lot of people think twice if they are afraid of getting caught and the crime rate is being reduced -- greatly lowering the overall damage to society.
So the simple calculation "how much is spent on bringing a criminal to justice vs how much is the monetary value of the damage in that particular case" just doesn't make sense.
Law enforcement is like an insurance contract. Everybody in society pays for it through taxes and shares in the benefits of security. People here are, in effect, arguing that they are not getting your money's worth unless they have been a victim and the authorities have to make an effort on their behalf.
|
Utilitarian theory isn't based on monetary costs (although that can be a consideration). It's more the idea that you shouldn't impose laws that create harms that are greater than the benefits. The essential idea is that those passing laws should take a holistic view and determine: (i) who benefits from the law and in what way; (ii) what restrictions on liberty will be imposed by the law (jail time for offenders, etc.); and (iii) what secondary benefits/harms will result (reduction in freedom of speech, greater money injected into the copyright system, etc.).
There is no simple equation that can be done - like any theory of morality it dosn't produce an easy answer. This theory is more a rejection of morality as handed down by a god or "just knowing" something is wrong.