Jail corporate criminals

Since the Founding Fathers, corporations have repeatedly gone to court to secure the rights granted to our citizens by the Constitu- tion. And they have largely succeeded. One of the most damaging to our democracy, Citizens United, ruled that if a citizen could reach into his pocket to help a candidate, then a corporation could reach into its bounty and totally outflank the will of the citizens.

But the corporation, as a citizen, fails our country in another important regard. Whenever a citizen commits a crime, he faces the punishment of going to jail. This is settled law; it creates a disincentive for those contemplating crime. But not so with our “corporation people.”

Herein lies the problem. As corporations are found to be stealing — often from their customers — the corporations are brought to trial. Instead of going to jail, a powerful disincentive to stealing again, the justice system negotiates a fine and a promise to not steal again. Often this fine is meager when compared with the loot extracted and, since no one goes to jail, the company’s management has the incentive to steal again.

Such has been the history of our biggest banks, repeatedly stealing from customers. This can be easily corrected by putting the managers who mastermind these crimes in jail; with this action I’m certain such behavior would soon cease.

Lee Knohl, Evanston