Community poll forum: What punishment should be handed down to virus creators?

I beleive their time for jail should depend on how much damage their virus caused, with as minimum of 6 months, up to 10 years for those who caused millions in damage!

Hang them in a public place by their gonads. For at least a week.

They need be kept in mental asylum for 15 years

It is important to always consider that the letter of the law does not always equal the intent. I do not believe every individual should be punished equally. A three year stealing grapes is not the same thing as a forty year old stealing grapes. Yet there are many forty year olds who have the mentality of three year olds. Rules and laws are not set in concrete, but must bend to fit the situation. It should teach as well as inflict appropriate consequences for the wrong-doer's actions. No one is perfect, though we mostly believe that we can prescribe punishment for someone else, and still be immune ourselves. But when we behave wrongly, we want compassion and the hope of acquittal. There is a statement..."Truth in Love". Note the order; it does not say love before truth, and that is important. You may love a Communist so much, that the truth of freedom becomes corrupt, and you part ways with it. But first know what you stand for, and then impart love.

Therefore, we are human beings first, frail and fragile and imperfect, and who cannot always do right by our very nature. Inflict the consequences due, but in truth and love, always knowing first and formost that we have no special means of preventing our own selves from doing far worse, circumstances permitting.

You know, in many ways I agree with you Skopelman (for many kinds of personal and even violent crime)... but writing a computer virus is a very conscious, chosen action. I find it difficult to see extenuating circumstances that ''push'' a person into committing cybercrime. The people who do this are generally both very clever and very much aware of the consequences of their actions (in terms of the problems that the virus will cause) but think that they will not get caught, and that it's just fun and games. It's not, and we need to make sure that we are working hard to dispel that image by raising the profile of the arrests of cybercriminals.

Obviously, we need to uphold our standards of equal treatment under the law, protection from cruel or unusual punishments, presumption of innocence until guilt is proven, and punishments that are fitting of the crime committed. But I see no reason for the punishments to be light when the consequences of the crimes are so wide-spread and costly.

Are you kidding me? What planet did you come from? You were 20 years old in 1961, weren't you...

In Manila, they cut off a hand if you steal a loaf of bread. I say, write a virus that effects thousands of computers, and costs the world millions of dollars - chop off both arms at the shoulder (with a rusty meat cleaver, of course). Better yet - do it in public - on prime time TV. That will give the next great virus author something to think about...

Life isn't "Fair"....but it must be "Just"

Your wish to see punishment applied that fits the crime is one I would expect a judge and jury to weigh.

However, there are no laws as yet that adequately protect the computer owner or penalties perfected that address the levels of severity of any given infraction. The horse comes before the cart and we desperately need the horse. It needs to be strong and swift. The cart can be built through the hands of common people as they hear the details of those charged and having then the love and truth as you say to inflict a just punishment. The simple fact that it takes a great concious effort to write a virus should weigh heavily against one convicted and I simply do not trust a jury to hand down a verdict when they put their hearts before those of whom have been harmed. Judges should keep that fact in mind when instructing a jury for their deliberations on any crime. In too many cases juries have refused to convict UNLAWFULLY. The absurdity that this goes unpunished is another story.

I'm bled out with this love idea. Never forget the victims!

Showing consideration for offenders as opposed to showing consideration for victims is an imbalance in the justice system scale. I believe the victims rights should always be first. There are too many "Do Gooders" laws out there, that give criminals the advantage over victims. More and more, juries leave the courtrooms saying, "We know he was probabily guility, but the prosecution didn't show enough evidence." or "We had to follow the Judge's guidelines."
But, Judges are limited to guidelines formed by "Do Gooders" laws that put the criminals rights, before the victims rights.
Go back to the beginning: In the bible, when Cain killed his brother Able, It says God banished him from socieity forever. It mentions nothing about 1st offense, 2nd offense, Victim's rights, etc., etc., etc.!! The hazy gray areas of the laws make it easier and easier for criminals to get off with less and less punishment for their crimes and increases the incentive for committing crimes. All at the expense of the victims and their families. Sad!

We should import a Malaca cane from singapore, take their pants down and lash their bottoms to pulp, so that they can never sit down again.

Minimum 3 years in a real prison, enough time for technology to change reasonably and lose their middle fingers on both hands and never to touch a computer again. A little of everything everyone said here. With one last thing being restitution to all those they infected, say lifetime of 10% of their take home.

Lovely idea... but absolutely impossible to implement. Internet access is open to everyone at libraries and community centers, so even if you could monitor whether they have a internet access at home, you still couldn't monitor ALL their activity.

I have both deep disdain and pity for those individuals with the need to display their talents in a harmful and disruptive manner.

Disdain because these persons either cannot imagine or empathizes with those of us who are the recipients of their 'programming skills'and the amount of time, effort, energy and expenses needed to recover and cleanup from their escapades.

Pity because it is apparent that their something profound or missing in their human nature that would cause them to revert to their basic instincts with a desire to direct harm and hurt towards others.

As there is no isolated island or desolate locations to where these type of individuals could be suitably sentenced or housed, with others committing the same type of offenses, I would settle for their being sentenced to a two year sentence of imprisonment,in a facility no close to ther hometown.

There is an added responsibility with the prison sentence: (1) Their then having to pay for their total period of incarceration (even it is with confiscated and auctioned off property), and
(2). providing a two year period of community service (with a youth or senior organization) teaching computer skills to the members of those organizations.

If the above does not cure the virus creator's 'itch' to quit it will at least give some of us extended vacations from their immature and dastardly deeds.

10 year mandatory..no parole for good time!!

Virus writers should pay for all damages caused by theyr wrongdoings, for that should be stripped of all assets and declared indebted until final liquidation of payments.

they should be required to wear an ankle bracelet that gives them a shock everytime they get within 20 feet of any cpu.