What Have We Become—Epilogue

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June 8, 6:50 PM

by Bernie Thomas, Baltimore News and Traffic Examiner

 

 

Arika & Anne, KWJ, Karl C., and Historyprof—thank you for your comments and obvious perception and understanding of a situation that is in dire need of a fix, even a temporary one.

KWJ - The killing of a witness isn’t a new development, but it has become more blatant, and what is being done? Our laws concerning the rights of criminals supersede those of the victims and tie the hands of police. The cops are doing their job, in spite of the restrictions placed on them. It is the judges who have turned our prisons into the equivalent of transient barracks by eagerly handing out minimal sentences to repeat offenders, thus de-clawing our judicial system and rendering it ineffective.

The only people fearful of prison today are those law abiding folks who stand to lose everything they’ve worked for; those who run afoul of the law to protect themselves, their family, or their property, and find themselves faced with the decision of chancing serious jail time by standing trial, or accepting a plea bargain; a convenient judicial “tool” that only serves to “convince” the newly-accused to plead guilty in return for leniency and to artificially inflate the numbers of successful prosecutions by a less than zealous judiciary.

Karl C - The Kitty Genovese incident in NYC was the tip of the iceberg. If I remember correctly, this young woman was murdered on the street in full view of those watching from their apartment windows. I believe one of the witnesses remarked: “It’s okay now—the screaming’s stopped.” No one did anything to help, no one did anything to stop it, but everyone was shocked by the failure of anyone to act. My guess is, everyone wondered what they would have done.

But I think Historyprof said it best (see comments on previous entry): “Until we get tougher on gang violence and crime, this type of blatant disregard (for human life) will only escalate.”

He's right, and I think it's fairly obvious, it already has. You have to ask yourself why this is. You should also have the answer. Our laws are sufficient to deal with violent crime, but our punishment is not. That being the case, the repetition of violent crime is the result.

Case in point: Singapore’s 1994 caning of Michael Fay for vandalism raised the awareness of that type of punishment in America. The outcry of cruel and unusual was deafening and everyone had an opinion. Clinton even stepped in and got the bored little vandal a two lash reduction from six to four.

Judicial caning is not new. It was introduced to Singapore by the British in roughly the fifteenth century. Singapore is one of the most beautiful, low-crime, cities in the world for a reason. You face caning if you break their laws. They still use it because it works. And if you don’t believe me, see for yourself.

Crime Statistics: Singapore vs. Everyone Else.
(Pay special attention to where he U.S. falls in comparison. It’s disgusting.)

If the anti-death penalty folks want capital punishment to go away, then something needs to take its place to act as a deterrent to violent crime. I agree that capital punishment is not a deterrent to violent crime except in the notion that those executed will never commit a crime again, but I’ve always believed a little pain goes a long way. The old fashion lickin’s I got as a kid were not only deserved, but any pain associated with them was usually gone by morning, as was my inclination to repeat the behavior that brought it upon me in the first place. Perhaps it’s time to revisit those time-tested methods again.

Caning is barbaric, certainly. Is it cruel? Absolutely. Does it work? Without question. But do we need it? Well, I think we need something besides political rhetoric and double-speak. Maybe we need to dial back the criminal’s rights in favor of the victim’s rights. Maybe if a judge sentences a criminal to ten years, he should actually SERVE ten years. Maybe we need a judiciary that will step up like police Chief Cathy Lanier has in the Trinidad area of DC, and DO SOMETHING! The folks who live there —the law abiding ones—welcome the police presence, and the ACLU, while their intensions are good, in this instance should mind their own damn business.

“The road to hell is paved with good intensions, but merely intending to do good, without actually doing it, is of no value.” (Source: Bartleby.com)

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