Current Events > Scenario: You commit a major crime

(+) Yeah! (+)

For whatever reason, I've been seeing a lot of topics about crime on Reddit. It seems a lot of folks think for serious crimes, the mature, adult thing to do is turn yourself in and face justice because laws and the justice system are somehow just because the people who wrote them and oversee them are people who were democratically elected. You even see this for more minor stuff like drugs. The older I get, the more I disagree with this notion. I think the real adult response is to try and keep yourself out of prison regardless of you what you did wrong, and if you have the capacity for morality and self reflection, to try and do better next time or make up for what you did wrong. As far as we know, we only get one life, and nobody is going to look out for you but yourself.

I also disagree strongly that the America's laws, courts, or prisons are in any way just. Lawmakers are mostly old, rich, privileged white men who would not reasonably expect to be bound by the laws they themselves write. We choose them--in the US at least--from a pool of mostly curated wealthy, well-connected people presented to us by two powerful political parties. Laws are written to appease special interests and the ideas and morals of said lawmakers. Police have the freedom to investigate or not investigate cases as they see fit. Sheriffs are an elected position, and while morality might be important to some, so is reelection. Prosecutors are also elected and need high numbers when seeking reelection and have no particular incentive to be just. If you do get a trial (without having a ridiculous number of charges added as a penalty), judges also tend to be elected, and in some areas don't even need to have any legal qualifications. Some districts have an appallingly high win rate for the prosecution, to the point that trials couldn't be seen as fair unless you assumed basically everyone brought before the courts was guilty.

Well, what do you think?

uhhh, I need way more context lol.

How "major" is major?

I'm going to try to stay free regardless.

cuttin_in_farm posted...

uhhh, I need way more context lol.

YugiNoob posted...

How "major" is major?

This is purely a hypothetical. You can state ranges for different behaviors. Like maybe you wouldn't turn yourself in for drugs, but would if you killed someone in self-defense. I'm personally most interested in whether or not folks would ever turn themselves in, because I see so many Reddit posts where people not involved in criminal investigations think the sensible and mature thing to do is admit guilty and take the time for most crimes. I think it's all bluster, personally.

It would depend on if I agreed with the law in the first place I guess. There are unjust laws and I wouldn't throw my life away because of one.