[Frost1x]

>they may face criminal charges as well

Criminal charges for cheating on an exam? Seems a bit absurd to me. I'm all for preventing fraud (especially when were talking about peoples lives), but I also like to think I'm a reasonable human being and criminal action seems unfounded here. It sounds to me like expectations and filters for exams are too unrealistic now combined with lack of alternative realizable opportunities, otherwise you wouldn't see this level of cheating nonsense.

Every day I see more and more ridiculous levels of competitive forces pushed on the bulk of society just to survive and it makes me wonder where the tipping point for social competitive forces for survival begin to exceed natural forces for survival and faith in societies destabilize to a point people just stop participating or at the very least many just "give up." You already see this in Japan, Korea, China (tang ping, "lying flat") and it seems to be an increasing trend in the US. I'm not intimately familiar with India but from what I have seen, it's not roses there either.

We have some fundamentally skewed power and control mechansim increasingly governing people in 'democratic societies' to which citizens seem to have little real democratic say in anymore.

[erosenbe0]

Cheating on licensure tests at publicly subsidized institutions is hardcore fraud. Why should there be a carve out for white-collar crime like that?

[pessimizer]

> Criminal charges for cheating on an exam? Seems a bit absurd to me.

Depends on how you think about it. They're defrauding the institution out of a credential. It really depends on how the relevant laws are worded.

Would you expect criminal charges if you got caught counterfeiting a lottery ticket?

I find everything you said interesting, of course, but I think the legal thing is slightly more complicated.

[spoonjim]

Cheating in a medical exam can get an unqualified person licensed as a doctor. It can have serious consequences and kill lots of people. In a regular college exam I think criminal charges are a bit much but for a public safety related exam like doctor, pilot, etc. I think it's appropriate.

[erosenbe0]

Adults are adults. 18 year-olds who defraud the military face punishment (with due process). Nearly all universities take public money and should stop treating 18 year-olds like children who need to be coddled on publicly subsidized dime.

That being said, most such punishment records should generally be expunged once rehabilitation has been completed. We're all human and make mistakes, and only a pattern of misconduct should be permanently on record.