A Jury of Your Victims
We already know that the justice system doesn’t seem to work. By that I mean that its about offender’s rights and not about justice.
I remember seeing Richie Haven comment on the beginning of the old Superman series. “And he fights for truth, justice, and the American way.” Haven said, “I thought truth and justice was the American way.” No they appear to be different.
So if I am to be judged by a jury of my peers, and all my peers are also criminals, where’s the justice?
Perhaps I need to be held responsible and accountable to a jury of my victims. After all, they know me best. They are the ones who have had direct experience and paid the natural cause and effect consequences for my choices. So what it a murderer had to be judged by a jury of the victim’s family? What if rapist had to be judged my rape victims? What if robbers had to be judged by victims of robbery?
Judgment and punishment show no direct relationship to recidivism, re-offense.
Empathy, remorse and shame does.
So perhaps instead of being judged by our peers, sentenced by judges, and then torn between strictly punishment and isolation to keep society safe and a humanistic approach that accepts explanations as excuses and doesn’t hold people responsible and accountable, we need to think outside the either/or box.
Perhaps we need to be judged by a jury of our victims?
Perhaps we need to extend the jury and the criminal defendant pool?
Lets have as jury members a representative of our society, since our tax dollars are spent on people who commit crime. It cost us a lot of money to take care of people who do not positively contribute or participate in the society they hold hostage. You and I pay for their choices. We are indirectly and directly their victims. Let me have say in what should be done. Perhaps this is why I never get picked for jury duty.
Perhaps, if crime (along with that I include child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assaults, and addiction) runs in families and communities, perhaps they need to be held responsible and accountable too. We are victims of the rules and roles they provide that is imitated and identified with by the youth. Perhaps instead of letting the criminal offs because of these influences, the influences should also be named and held responsible and accountable. We are their victims. We should have a say.
Judged by a jury of your victims.
If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime. If you do not want to be judged by a jury of your victims, you already know that what you are about to do is wrong. Don’t do it. Please don’t do it. If in doubt, send my an e-mail and I will gladly tell you what I think about your plan of action.
Think about it, if you were judged by a jury of your victims, would that change you heart and mind. Perhaps having empathy, connectedness, and compassion fo our victims would prevent us from creating them?
