Crime

The continuing high level of violent crime, and the government's (both Republicans and Democrats) demonstrated inability to deal with it, threatens the lives, happiness, and belongings of Americans. At the same time, governmental violations of rights undermine the people's sense of justice with regard to crime.

The recent Supreme Court ruling illustrates the arbitrary and capricious nature of our current (oxymoronic) jurisprudence, where they have ruled no executions of people younger than 18 shall be performed in the USA.   Because the age chosen (18) is in itself an arbitrary age and date, its adoption renders all death penalties arbitrary and capricious (and therefore counter-constitutional) and is the latest reason to render the death penalty illegal. 

The appropriate way to suppress crime is through consistent and impartial enforcement of laws that protect individual and collective rights. Laws pertaining to "victimless crimes" should be repealed since such laws themselves violate individual rights and also breed genuine crime.

The Neither Party supports institutional changes, consistent with full respect for the rights of the accused that would permit victims to direct the prosecution in criminal cases.

The advent of a “prison industrial complex” in the United States has become a national disgrace. The Neither Party raises a united voice in opposition to the inequities within the criminal justice system, the systemic injustice and prejudice, the lack of adequate legal representation for the poor and under privileged, the gross punishments mandated under punitive sentencing laws that fill the prisons with non-violent offenders.

While toughening penalties for violent crimes, it is inappropriate to have a de facto policy of leniency to “white collar crimes”.  We believe broad corporate crime legislation should be enacted and enforced.  We support efforts that target the worst cases of corporate (including governmental and defense industry) illegality and criminality, and we support resultant sentencing (and fines) that act swiftly and demonstrate justice served.

The Neither Party recommends establishing effective, independent civilian review of complaints of police misconduct, to include police brutality, fabrication of evidence (including perjury), unequal enforcement of the laws, and administration hiring practices.

We support judicial reform that opens up the court system, makes it affordable and convenient to ordinary citizens, and provides for more efficient administration of justice.  The rules should be simplified and clarified.  The nation will do a better job of enforcing and obeying a few reasonable laws than many thousands of incomprehensible statutes.

We call for an immediate end to new prison construction.