Nunle

Honestly I do. In my humble ill considered opinion a justice system should be about restoration of both the victims and criminals lives. Sometimes this requires time away from society, and sometimes it requires compensation. There is a deterrent affect of punishments that also has it’s place.

When I see, however, a family on TV saying, “We can have no peace until the criminal has been caught and punished” I feel a great shame inside me. I understand where such thoughts come from. This is the old eye-for-an-eye approach to things. I believe it’s ingrained in us. A fact of our cultural heritage.

Such sentiments rob the victims of crimes of one more of their rights. Each person has the right to exercise control over their own life. The statement above (or similar such words) effectively give this right away to the criminal. Suddenly a persons happiness depends on the actions of another, in an extremely unhealthy way.

Please don’t miss understand me. We’re all social beings, our happiness is dependent on one another, but the sentiment above is an extreme. “We can have no peace.”

A justice system focused on retribution and an underlying theme of revenge encourages these thoughts in victims. Don’t let it happen any more! Take control of your own emotional well being, instead of fobbing it off onto other people.