Poll: If a friend/acquaintance of yours committed a victimless crime would you report him to the police?

[Nmil-ek]

Ok so most have acknowledged the fact that victimless crimes don't actually exist. Good, that means I don't need to argue that point alone should the need arise.

No I wouldn't turn them in, except as a last resort. Drugs, they're bad, I'd talk to them about it, talk to people they know about it, try and convince them of their foolishness, etc.

And by that time if they still decide that ruining their mind, body and life in general is a grand idea then they wouldn't be my friend any more and I would happily report their behaviour to the authorities.

I don't take well to being ignored, and I don't make a habit of remaining friends with fools. Hence the reason I had a falling out with my friend who would cut himself, someone who thinks self harming is something clever and refuses to listen to arguments to the contrary is not someone I want to be around.

Note: he's better now, we aren't as close as before but we've talked since and are on friendly terms.
Note: I wouldn't report someone for prostitution I don't see the harm, if they were married/had a girlfriend then I would have to think about whether I tell her, that might have something to do with how well I know her.

Very naieve way of thinking if you ask me, my uncles a doctor and the guy cant get through a day without something in his bloodstream, cant blame him with the severity of what he has seen in his job. Would you consider doctors morons aswell because its highly common? Ever suffered so much trauma that you would need something to take the edge off? Theres alot of reasons for drugs more than just recreational even then are you basing your presumptions on experiance or just an ignorant guess?

 

[Kuliani]

If a friend committed a misdemeanor, then I would try to help my friend. There's usually some reason why, and I'd like to fix that reason. If it can't be fixed, then the best help I can give is to have him face the consequences of his actions.

If it's just an acquaintance, then yes.

 

[fede134]

There are no victimless crimes. No matter how small this crime...there is always an effect on someones life.

 

[razer17]

Ok so most have acknowledged the fact that victimless crimes don't actually exist.

Note: I wouldn't report someone for prostitution I don't see the harm, if they were married/had a girlfriend then I would have to think about whether I tell her, that might have something to do with how well I know her.

how can you say that there is no such thing as a vitcimless crime, and then say that there is no harm in prostitution? that's a bit of a contradiction isn't it?

anyway, no i would not hand them over to the authorities. although if they were addicted to drugs i might get them sent to rehab, but only because im looking after their health. and if they slept with a prostitue i would take the mick, and send them to get scanned for STD's.

 

[duchaked]

maybe for a bounty haha

 

[Lonko]

There are no victimless crimes. No matter how small this crime...there is always an effect on someones life.

This has been repeated multiple times in this thread, and irks me greatly.

Oral sex is illegal in more than one American state. This makes it a crime. Now, can anybody tell me how giving your boyfriend head hurts anybody at all? I'm going to be very presumptuous here and say that nobody can. Hence, it is a victimless crime. Just because the local authority says "thou shalt not" doesn't mean there's anything inherently wrong with doing it.

Now, on to the topic, I would not report a friend for a victimless crime, which I am for the purposes of this post defining as "something forbidden by law, but which harms nobody except possibly the perpetrator". For one thing, for a lot of such crimes, I have no moral objection. For another, even if I disagreed with it, I would not condemn a friend without trying to help them. If I turned them in, it would help nobody, destroy our friendship and quite possibly that friend's whole life.

 

[fletch_talon]

Very naieve way of thinking if you ask me, my uncles a doctor and the guy cant get through a day without something in his bloodstream, cant blame him with the severity of what he has seen in his job. Would you consider doctors morons aswell because its highly common? Ever suffered so much trauma that you would need something to take the edge off? Theres alot of reasons for drugs more than just recreational even then are you basing your presumptions on experiance or just an ignorant guess?

Yes I do consider doctors that abuse substances morons, regardless of the reasons. In fact they're worse than your average drug abusing moron because they have more than likely seen the effects of what they are doing, they know first hand what harm it does, and they've probably lectured patients on how they shouldn't abuse drugs.

There are better ways to deal with problems like that than drugs, the reason they aren't as popular is because they take more effort than popping pills or shooting up.

Ok so most have acknowledged the fact that victimless crimes don't actually exist.

Note: I wouldn't report someone for prostitution I don't see the harm, if they were married/had a girlfriend then I would have to think about whether I tell her, that might have something to do with how well I know her.

how can you say that there is no such thing as a vitcimless crime, and then say that there is no harm in prostitution? that's a bit of a contradiction isn't it?

Very true, I do have a reason for saying that but I didn't even think about how that contradicted a previous statement. Basically prostitution isn't illegal everywhere, and it tends to involve a victim in specific cases, if the prostitute has been coerced, if the brothel isn't hygienic and doesn't have strict policies regarding STDs etc.
Basically I look at that show "Secret Diaries of a Call Girl" there are agencies with rules and regulations regarding the safety of both prostitute and client. Its one of the few (if only) "crimes" where I believe the current illegality causes more trouble than it solves.

And before anyone asks, my opinion on drugs is that there is always a victim, whether it is the user and their family/friends or just the user, someone will be a victim, whether they agree or not. Kinda like statutory rape victims, they might not consider themselves a victim but personally I don't consider anyone under 16 (if not 18) able to competently decide whether sex is a good idea or not.

 

[Xvito]

Um... Crimes can't be victimless... That's why crimes are crimes, because there are victims...

"Victimless crime" refers to an act that's illegal and therefore a crime, but doesn't involve a victim. Like, for example, smoking a joint. Pretty simple.

And to answer the question, no, I wouldn't. I'm no rat. My friend would have do something genuinely terrible, like murder or rape someone, for me to consider snitching them out. Not only is squealing against my principles, there's also the old adage about snitches ending up in stitches to consider.

If there is somebody else around then it isn't victimless.

If nobody else is around or if the people who are there don't care then it shouldn't be a crime...

 

[Oolinthu]

There are no victimless crimes. No matter how small this crime...there is always an effect on someones life.

This has been repeated multiple times in this thread, and irks me greatly.

Oral sex is illegal in more than one American state. This makes it a crime. Now, can anybody tell me how giving your boyfriend head hurts anybody at all? I'm going to be very presumptuous here and say that nobody can. Hence, it is a victimless crime. Just because the local authority says "thou shalt not" doesn't mean there's anything inherently wrong with doing it.

Now, on to the topic, I would not report a friend for a victimless crime, which I am for the purposes of this post defining as "something forbidden by law, but which harms nobody except possibly the perpetrator". For one thing, for a lot of such crimes, I have no moral objection. For another, even if I disagreed with it, I would not condemn a friend without trying to help them. If I turned them in, it would help nobody, destroy our friendship and quite possibly that friend's whole life.

Thank you. Sheesh, where do people get ideas like "there's no such thing as a victimless crime"? If an act doesn't hurt anyone except (possibly) the one who commits the act, then the act is victimless. If that act is for whatever reason made illegal, then it is a victimless crime. Get it now?

Um... Crimes can't be victimless... That's why crimes are crimes, because there are victims...

"Victimless crime" refers to an act that's illegal and therefore a crime, but doesn't involve a victim. Like, for example, smoking a joint. Pretty simple.

And to answer the question, no, I wouldn't. I'm no rat. My friend would have do something genuinely terrible, like murder or rape someone, for me to consider snitching them out. Not only is squealing against my principles, there's also the old adage about snitches ending up in stitches to consider.

If there is somebody else around then it isn't victimless.

If nobody else is around or if the people who are there don't care then it shouldn't be a crime...

Being around someone who's smoking marijuana isn't going to hurt you. By that logic using hair or bug spray around someone else should be a crime, not to mention smoking cigarettes.

 

[fletch_talon]

There are no victimless crimes. No matter how small this crime...there is always an effect on someones life.

This has been repeated multiple times in this thread, and irks me greatly.

Oral sex is illegal in more than one American state. This makes it a crime. Now, can anybody tell me how giving your boyfriend head hurts anybody at all? I'm going to be very presumptuous here and say that nobody can. Hence, it is a victimless crime. Just because the local authority says "thou shalt not" doesn't mean there's anything inherently wrong with doing it.

Someone should probably define law as something that is nearly universal. Otherwise we end up with dumbass laws like that and all those ones where you can be fined for pronouncing a state/city's name wrong.

If you didn't want us pronouncing it Ar-Kan-Sas then don't bloody well spell it Arkansas.

 

[AdmiralWolverineLightningbolt]

that's like asking if id stab my friends in the back for no good reason

in fact, it's that exact question

 

[WrongSprite]

No, I know my friends take drugs, it doesn't bother me.

 

[razer17]

Very true, I do have a reason for saying that but I didn't even think about how that contradicted a previous statement. Basically prostitution isn't illegal everywhere, and it tends to involve a victim in specific cases, if the prostitute has been coerced, if the brothel isn't hygienic and doesn't have strict policies regarding STDs etc.
Basically I look at that show "Secret Diaries of a Call Girl" there are agencies with rules and regulations regarding the safety of both prostitute and client. Its one of the few (if only) "crimes" where I believe the current illegality causes more trouble than it solves.

And before anyone asks, my opinion on drugs is that there is always a victim, whether it is the user and their family/friends or just the user, someone will be a victim, whether they agree or not. Kinda like statutory rape victims, they might not consider themselves a victim but personally I don't consider anyone under 16 (if not 18) able to competently decide whether sex is a good idea or not.

drugs aren't illegal everywhere either, and since a fairly large proportion of drug related death/illness is due to the way the drugs are cut, if they were controlled, like brothels in the areas they are, there would be less risk.

also i don't think it's a matter of age for statutory rape, more a matter of maturity. i also dont like how the guy always takes the blame if they are both under 16. they are both just as responsible, but for some reason the guy is always labelled a rapist.
but since we can never realistically judge it on maturity i would say 16 is a good line to set it at. i was more mature to make that decision at 16 than many people i know now, at 18.

 

[rainman2203]

I wouldn't report any of the named crimes so far, nor would I for underage drinking, which is both the most common misdemeanor I've come across and one I've been charged of myself. Some laws are just idiocy. And the whole "there are no such things are victimless crimes" argument is crock. Smoking a joint or jaywalking or underage drinking have no more effects on others than any other action with unforeseeable consequences. I could be a perfect law abiding citizen and still be responsible for a car accident.

 

[Queen Michael]

I had a friend, then I learned he did drugs, so now I have one friend less. That one pretty much solved itself. It wasn't just the drugs, though, it was the entire difference in personality that had come between us with the arrival of puberty. He had decided that there was no activity more meaningful and suitable for a mature person than getting drunk and smoking cigarettes "to be cool", while things I counted as "meaningful and suitable for a mature person" was sitting down in a comfy chair with a classic novel.

But I wouldn't report any friend, because not reporting one another is my definition of what makes someone your friend.

 

[Zykon TheLich]

I was sure I'd answered this. No, short of rape or murder (or anything ridiculous, like plotting to gas the london underground) I would not report them for anything or even in the case of murder it would depend on the circumstances...as would a lot of it I suppose, but as a general rule, no.

 

[Trivun]

Normally I wouldn't, although if it was a friend who'd stabbed me in the back then I'd have no qualms or hesitations whatsoever.

 

[fede134]

There are no victimless crimes. No matter how small this crime...there is always an effect on someones life.

This has been repeated multiple times in this thread, and irks me greatly.

Oral sex is illegal in more than one American state. This makes it a crime. Now, can anybody tell me how giving your boyfriend head hurts anybody at all? I'm going to be very presumptuous here and say that nobody can. Hence, it is a victimless crime. Just because the local authority says "thou shalt not" doesn't mean there's anything inherently wrong with doing it.

Now, on to the topic, I would not report a friend for a victimless crime, which I am for the purposes of this post defining as "something forbidden by law, but which harms nobody except possibly the perpetrator". For one thing, for a lot of such crimes, I have no moral objection. For another, even if I disagreed with it, I would not condemn a friend without trying to help them. If I turned them in, it would help nobody, destroy our friendship and quite possibly that friend's whole life.

Do you think the parents of that girl would not be hurt a little bit if they found out? victims!