After reading the post "God Help the Children" By lab munkay I was struck by the thought, what if there was parental justice? What if it was up to the parents or loved ones of the victims to decide what punishment the offender received? My first reaction is that vigilante justice would be the norm. I would want to beat the crap out of anyone that harmed someone I love. I would want them to suffer as their victim suffered. I'm not sure at what level you would prescribe this punishment. Not for petty theft and burglary, not that those are not serious but they don't carry the same emotional weight that a physical assault does. Or if the offender really was not capable of distinguishing between right and wrong. I mean for the people that are just bad, mean, evil, miserable people that leave a path of destruction, heartache and scars that never really heal through the lives of others.
I supposed first it has to be decided who actually meets out the punishment? Is there some organization of goonies that you send out to do your dirty work, under the strictest supervision of the "committee for family justice" to see that they don't get too carried away or do you do the deed yourself. I know I could order it done much easier than carry it out myself.
I started to think what would I really do? My first instinct would be a violent reaction. I would want them hurt, maimed, scarred for life. I would want them locked up in a tiny windowless room with no lights and chainsaw music 24/7. I would want to pull their fingernails out slowly one by one and listen to them scream. I would want to......... The list goes on and on and gets scarier and scarier. I think I am turning into one of them. I am turning into someone who would enjoy the pain of somebody else. If I sit by and let this happen does this not make me on the same level? In some way I think it does. Would it really make me feel any better about the crime they committed? If they had killed a loved one there is not enough pain in the world that they could go through that would be enough. Would it really help the healing process? Then I think of my son and what would I tell him? "Oh honey, it's okay you don't ever have to worry about that bad person hurting you again cuz I fixed him good". Finally I think I could not carry through because I know one thing for certain they will pay for their crimes in hell and I don't want to join them.
Our justice system is far from perfect and there are times when it makes my head spin how disproportionate sentences seem to the seriousness of the crime. I think it is a far cry from "make the punishment fit the crime". When a white collar criminal spends more time in jail than a rapist, something is wrong. I also realize they are doing the best they can with what they have to work with and I do not envy the people (lawyers, judges, psychiatrists, etc.) that make the decisions. I know deals are made and sometimes the impact of the crime on the victim and or their family gets lost.
A cry of "posse up boys" does not seem to be the answer either. I think a lot of parents would disagree with me and say "let me at 'em" but given the option could they really decide to hurt someone else? Lock them up, sure, but actually physically harming them with their own hands? If given the choice, the offender gets ten years in jail or you get to take out both knees with a baseball bat, what would the choice be? I wonder.
1 comment:
Jojo, you are right, the vigallante system would not be the answer but cause more problems. For me, doing so would fall under the "crimes of passion" catagory, wich would open a whole different can of worms. I do not have it in me to plan or plot revenge, but I understand those parents who act out themselves. I could not hire goons to do my dirtywork. Hopefully I will never have to go through any of this pain myself. I could only hope to aspire to Patty Wetterlings actions, but I am unsure how I would react if juctice was not served. Something does need to be done about our system to protect our innocent. And as a parent I hope I am raising me kids right so a posse is never sent here. In the meantime, both my sons are currently duct taped to my side as I write this.
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