Why Property Destruction is Bad Essay
In general sense, property refers to any virtual or physical entity owned by a person or a group of people. A person who owns a property can rent, consume, exchange, mortgage or sell it (Zainal and Salleh 124). Human beings cannot live without owning property. As such, the property has economic, political, social and sometimes legal and religious implications. Property can, therefore, be viewed as a legal domain that constitutes the idea of ownership. The primary postulate of the concept is the exclusive control an individual may have over something. Besides, property damage refers to the injury to personal or real property through the negligence of another person, some act of nature or willful destruction. In law, property damage is usually separated from property injury. The essay will prove why property destruction is bad by examining the consequences of destroying people’s property.The primary purpose of the law is to safeguard the citizens and their property. Therefore, the state is mandated to prosecute individuals if they find evidence that a person purposefully destroyed another person’s property. The charges for malicious and willful damage of property are very harsh, and may sustainably affect an offender’s freedom, finances, and reputation. As explained by Miller, malicious and willful damage of property entails destruction and damaging of property belonging to an individual (n.p.). The offense is only applicable to malicious and intentional acts and not accidents.
Previous convictions dictate the fines and penalties for intentional damage of property an offender may have and the value of the property destroyed. For instance, According to Miller in Michigan, any offense that involves property or damage valued more than 200, 000 U.S. Dollars can attract a ten years imprisonment or a fine amounting to 1000 U.S. Dollars, or both or the offender may be forced to pay triple the monetary value of the property (n.p.). Such a punishment also apply to individuals who have been previously convicted twice for intentional and malicious damage of property. A person who destroys property worth more than 1000 but less than 20000 Dollars or commits a second offense involving the destruction of property amounting to 1000 Dollars commits a felony punishable by an imprisonment of up to five years or fines amounting to 10000 U.S. Dollars or the offender may be forced to pay triple the amount of property destroyed (Miller n.p.). Also, an offense involving the destruction of property valued between 200 and 1000 Dollars or a conviction of another offense of malicious destruction of property attracts a misdemeanor which is punished by a one year jail time or fines valued at 2000 U.S. Dollars or both or triple the amount of property destroyed.Crimes involving the damage of property worth less than 200 U.S. Dollars are treated as a misdemeanor and carry possible jail time of 93 days or fines amounting to 500 U.S. Dollars or both or triple the property’s value. However, offenders should bear in mind that when computing the cost of damage caused, the court may add the values of all the property allegedly destroyed in the past 12 month’s period (Miller n.p.). Therefore, a range of small offenses may be combined to form one serious offense. Apart from fines and penalties, convictions can also entail some collateral consequences like limited employment opportunities, inability to acquire specific professional licenses and difficulties in securing college admissions.
Property destruction may also be in the form of vandalism. Specifically, graffiti vandalism refers to the act of unlawfully scribbling, defacing, or marking walls or any real property whether private or public. According to a report written by the U.S. Department of Justice vandalism costs homeowners, businesses, youth and schools over 15 billion U.S. dollars (n.p.). As such, projects against graffiti and vandalism seek to reduce cost, stamp out or repair the intentional defacement or destruction of property. Also, anti-graffiti enforcement is expensive. On average, the U. S. spends more than 15 billion Dollars every year to detect, remove, monitor and repair graffiti damage. Laws about graffiti vary around the world. For example, a graffiti writer who causes more than 400 U.S. Dollars in damage in Los Angeles can face a fine amounting up to 10, 000 U.S. Dollars, or a one year jail time or both.Apart from the legal and financial implications of the destruction of property to the offenders, property destruction also exposes property owners and businesses to tremendous losses and other unplanned expenses. Companies and people whose property are destroyed may be forced to replace them with new ones, making them incur additional costs (U.S. Department of Justice n.p.). Besides, vandals may destroy precious items like artifacts in their attempt to write graffiti. For instance, in 2017, vandals destroyed archaeological artifacts by writing graffiti on a sandstone cliff found in Mesa Verde Park.
In conclusion, destruction of property has adverse impacts to property owners as well as the offenders. When proven guilty of an offense relating to destruction of property, offenders may be exposed to hefty fines and jail terms, or both. Destruction of property may also make the state and citizens to lose precious items like artifacts.