Social Crime and Punishment - The Balta case and wider discussion

[rumply]

Granted bail one week, a killer the next. Love to know how anyone could ever be out on bail for rape and aggravated assault.

 

[Mr Bultitude]

And I discussed, as mentioned to Cake above, how would you like to see a child of yours treated in this situation? Your turn.

If we're going to use this angle of discussion, it's only fair to also ask how it would feel if Balta's victim was a child of yours?

 

[Blind Turn]

If we're going to use this angle of discussion, it's only fair to also ask how it would feel if Balta's victim was a child of yours?

That’s a fair question. My broad perspective, removed of emotion, remains the same. And this is what the justice system is for, to make decisions for the benefit of society based on unemotional processes. The eye for an eye, pitchfork, punitive mentality is an emotional reaction and you see it all the time in the mainstream media/ social media and it’s inflamed by the shock jocks and opinion piece writers. This is why you don’t have family members choosing punishment in progressive society.

I vaguely remember a Sons of Anarchy episode that summed this up beautifully where the bikies gave the dad of a sexually abused daughter the chance to take his vengeance on the offender. At first this is what the father wanted desperately, yet when taken out into the bush with the chance to knife the offender, his emotions were less raw and he couldn’t take out his vengeance. While that is admittedly an extreme example it holds true to how we should allow the law to do its job based on non-emotive processes. The system isn’t perfect, and the bail scenario above is an example of that, but it’s important to hold true to that process.

No doubt, a part of me would want personal retribution or to see the offender suffer. But, let’s face it, in that mental state I’m not really seeing all aspects of the situation. Incarceration is a form of justice that inflicts extreme suffering on the offender. With a clear head, I’m not for that, and it’s unlikely to make the offender a better person in the long run. If there is a good chance they will prove to be an ongoing threat to the safety of others or are repeat offenders then, sure, they don’t deserve to be a part of society unless they can irrefutably demonstrate their rehabilitation.