I understand the feelings of those that see 'special' cases that they believe deserve the death penalty. In the case of drugs I have a low tolerance for those that engage in this despicable trade.
Equally, if the death penalty is going to be levied based on some perceived unquantified misery factor, then lots of cases can be made. Could not a case for the death penalty be made for the white collar criminal who defrauds a poor widow of her life savings, leaving her destitute and in misery?

G'day there PAUL1405...

You've struck a bit of a raw nerve there old man ? In over the 32 years I did in the job, I tried unsuccessfully to enter the Fraud areana of investigation ? For some inexplicable reason those bastards who through deceit, cunning, guile, deviousness (all of which mean basically the same thing !) rip-off those poor folk through their ignorance or innocence, whatever you wish to call it; I'd dearly like to give 'em all a massively good 'serve', on top of a maximum gaol sentence !

I'll not cite any particular case, and I'm sure you'll understand why ? But you'd remember several company 'collapses' where your average 'mums and dads had lost everything, while the perpetrator's, (alleged 'company directors') manage to escape prosecution, and worse gaol ? All because of the clever way they structure their companies, and the part they play in those companies ?

A certain former 'federal minister', and someone even higher?? managed to evade a full investigation into 'something' ?? I believe because of the power they invoked in order to 'squash' everything ??

I'll say nothing more about that Paul......... ?

The smaller fraudster's and trickster's who manage to extract, sometimes the entire life savings from older people...well they're nothing but slugs and maggots. And I'd have great delight in doing a 'Mexican Hat Dance' on their disgusting, thieving heads !

So you understand Paul, my desire to interdict these very 'slick' slimy operators, has been a vocational passion of mine, that's essentially been unfulfilled ? Still you can't win 'em all ? As a footnote, cast you mind back, 'bout 25 - 30 years the activities of that federal minister and 'friend', might just emerge a little more clearly in your memory banks ?

o sung wu,

As an aside comment on fraud and thinking of the leading edge, for instance, consequential to rapidly changing technology, the requirement for investigators/project staff/experts to first complete police training is to my way of thinking a major impediment to the recruitment of suitable skills.

Imagine combining your own skills and practical know-how in a team with bright young graduates with leading edge skills in forensic accountancy, information technology and so on?

I know why the police forces do things they way they do and yes they do offer some graduate recruitment. However, they are missing out on some very sharp weapons indeed, graduates esp higher level who would not complete the police training for good reasons - the first being that they would not be able to pursue their interests and research while being a police cadet.

LOL, that should be 'side comment'. My editing sure suffers when I am 'multitasking'.

I'm off anyhow, c u.

G'day there ONTHEBEACH...

A very valid observation, very valid indeed. You may've seen, I was rejected for the Fraud Squad, for very legitimate reasons, I was simply out of my depth ? A thorough knowledge of the criminal law is not enough for fraud, you must have the ability to 'tease out' the minute strands of concealed irregularities that form the foundations of building a matrix for a successful fraud Brief.

In order to do that, you must have investigators with a certain mindset in order to recognise any illegal entries contained in voluminous quantities of company disbursements, taxation memoranda etc., when you're confronted with it ? And me, I'd not have a clue ?

Fraud crime is generally within the purview of educated (but greedy) crooks. And as you so rightly opined, in order to catch these people, you need to have clever well educated investigators. And I don't mean 'academics' like your sociologists, criminologists or many of the other 'ologists'. Precisely as you say - forensic accountants, auditors, IT specialists etc.

o sung wu,

There are degrees of white collar crime.

Many years ago,before the computer age and credit/debit cards I knew a chap who had numerous bank accounts and he would race into a bank just before closing time and make a large withdrawal (for which he always had sufficient funds), then the money went into another account and a few days later he rushed in just before closing time and so on with all of his accounts at different banks until one day with passport and plane ticket safely in his pocket he hit them all and before they woke up he was safely in his home country and probably impossible to trace.

Another bloke that I heard of who had a very good credit rating was leaving Australia permanently and before he left he bought up big on furniture and white goods on the 'never never' and all the stuff was for his friends, so it disappeared when he did. They gave him the deposit money for whatever it was that they wanted.