Criminal Justice & You, Thursday, Second Period
"So let's say you've committed a crime," Brian said. "Or you're a cop and you're after a guy who, I don't know, stole an apple. There are a couple of things you need to know that are going to shape your life for a few years. First, there's the statute of limitations, which rules how long after your crime you can be charged for it. Most places don't have a statute of limitations on major crimes like murder, but that apple, eh, no one's going to care after a while about petty theft. And, if you're a cop, that means if you see a guy who you know stole an apple twenty years ago, you can't tackle him yelling, 'Stop, thief!' That just makes you look crazy.
"Now, if you did commit a major crime, or you just really, really don't want to go to prison for five minutes for stealing that apple, you need to know your country's extradition agreements. Where can you go that won't send you back to face trial? Obviously this is going to take some extra money, so if you just stole an apple...might not be worth robbing a bank to get to Andorra. And if you're a cop and you're on vacation in Andorra and you see your notorious apple thief there...again, it's just not worth it.
"So, your assignment for today is to discuss under what circumstances it's even worth it to pursue someone for committing a crime. The justice system has one set of rules, but maybe you disagree."
"Now, if you did commit a major crime, or you just really, really don't want to go to prison for five minutes for stealing that apple, you need to know your country's extradition agreements. Where can you go that won't send you back to face trial? Obviously this is going to take some extra money, so if you just stole an apple...might not be worth robbing a bank to get to Andorra. And if you're a cop and you're on vacation in Andorra and you see your notorious apple thief there...again, it's just not worth it.
"So, your assignment for today is to discuss under what circumstances it's even worth it to pursue someone for committing a crime. The justice system has one set of rules, but maybe you disagree."