the almighty dollar
June 30, 2009 - 6:55 AM
Yesterday, after pleading guilty to 11 criminal counts, including securities fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, Bernard Madoff was sentenced by the federal courts to 150 years in prison.
By comparison, the average sentence for a man convicted of rape is 9.75 years (117 months) and the average time served for rape is 5.4 years (65 months). (http://ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/ncvrw/1996/m-rape.htm)
I agree that what Madoff did was wrong, that he ruined countless peoples lives. I agree he should spend the rest of his life in jail and pay restitution to his investors. But when it comes down to it, it's just money.
I am not sure if I am arguing that his sentence was too harsh or that rape sentences are too lenient, maybe a bit of both. What I am really asking for is a bit of perspective on the matter. The man was a cheat and crook but by comparison, is what he did 15x worse than rape?
