(Snippets from the frontline)
Be a corporation, avoid jail time
If a person commits a crime, they can be arrested, go to court, and even face prison time. If a corporation commits a crime, charges are brought, they can go to trial, but rarely do they go to jail.
Corporations are an organized group of people acting as a single entity, and have been given some constitutional rights. But shouldn’t they face the same consequences if they break the law as do individuals?
Recently, a toxic waste company illegally dumped their material in our nearby landfill. Nationally, generic drug corporations conspired to fix prices to increase profits. Crimes were committed, fines imposed, yet no one went to jail.
Over the decades, a legal debate has flourished as to what degree constitutional rights should be extended to corporations. Reviewing case law however is beyond the scope of this snippet.
Some corporations are indeed “too big to fail.” But they should not be allowed to break the law without facing consequences we would as individuals.
Like the rest of us, corporate leadership should be held accountable and face jail time. It can be a deterrent to further criminal activity.
Gene Uzawa Dorio, M.D.
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