so I have a project for you!

[senordesol]

Well a system truly interested in justice would take into consideration the circumstances surrounding the reasons the crime was committed. Murder, for example, can be premeditated or occur in the heat of the moment or even be semi-accidental.

Basically, I'd split the sentencing for any crime into two parts: punishment and rehabilitation. 'Punishment' would consist of a brief but intense period of severe discomfort or injury (i.e. lashings). The more malicious the intent (or for repeat offenders), the more severe (in intensity and length) the chastisement.

Part two (which will *not* occur over a pre-determined period) will consist of rehabilitation. This will include mandatory psycho-therapy, future planning (including relocation away from victims), 'vice' rehab, employment training for post-conviction career. If the inmate proves resistant to treatment, chemical castration or forced lobotomies may be necessary (after review from a commission of doctors and experts independent of the prison system). Conceivably, if the convict is never deemed fit to return to society, he could be stuck in rehab forever. But if he demonstrates a preparedness to reintegrate; he will be released on a probationary basis for a period in-line with the severity of his crime, employed and quartered (if one or neither is proffered on release). If he's able to stay out of trouble for the duration of his probation, the conviction will be expunged from his record.

 

[Techno Squidgy]

Serious answer: Let's take cues from Norway for a while. All are to be interned in rehabilitation facilities for varying numbers of years.

Less serious answer: Child Abuse: Abused by child.

Think Home Alone, the prison version.

Can we put them in little SS uniforms? I'm not sure why, but in my head that just makes it even funnier.

OT:Abduction.

Criminal (from here on referred to as victim) is drugged immediately after the trial. Said drug causes them to lose all memory of being arrested and going on trial. They wake up in a white room, with odd curved, alien architecture. They leave the room and walk down the hallway connecting the room. At the end of the hallway is a T junction. At one end, guys in convincing alien costumes, the other an open door. The aliens give chase and the victim runs. They must then navigate their way through an assault course or face probing. If they reach the end, a trap door opens beneath them dropping them onto a crash mat in a dark room. The lights come on, a party blower blows, balloons fall from the floor and a giant message is revealed.

YOU ARE A BAD PERSON.

The victim is then taken to a prison, debriefed and may begin their rehabilitation. There'll be some kind of counselling or something, an actual attempt to rehabilitate this person into a decent human being.

 

[Daverson]

Murder/Rape - Permanent incarceration, revocation of basic rights, recycling and redistribution of basic components (liver, kidneys, etc.) among those who may be more deserving of them.

If you work towards ending someone else's life, it's only fitting your punishment should save the lives of others.

OT: A tattoo depending on the crime; murder would grant you the outline of your skull traced with ink. Maybe a "third eye" or equivalent for child abuse? Idk, you get the idea, but mainly for a fantasy setting I suppose.

This was actually done in medieval Europe (albeit it branding, rather than tattooing) - depending on the severity of the crime the brand would be put in different places, a relatively minor offence might result in an easily concealed mark on the hand, while a major criminal would have one on his or her face.

 

[carnex]

basically i have this strange interest in alternative justice systems.

Ergo here is my challenge,

pick one of the following crimes:
Child Abuse
Rape
Murder
Abduction

Now, construct a new method of punishing an offender!

Please bear in mind however that Justice is *NOT* revenge, there is a difference.

I'm curious what people come up with as I'm designing a justice system for an RP.

Th real question starts with what is the job of the criminal law? Punishment? Removal of harmful parts of society from society? Reform? All of it?

If you ask me punishment is always the same. Removal from society at large, attempt at reform, judge of character and adaption to society at large and finally, observation of past subjects.

On the other hand, removal of certain individual from society at large and even life itself would not be even noticed by 99.9999% of humans, ethical or not. Really, if you don't intend to release person to society at large for the rest of his life, caging that person is more of waste of resources and sadistic game than service to humanity.

 

[smokeyninjas]

Yeah i'd give them all the same punishment to lock them up & give psychiatric therapy & rehabilitation until their no longer a danger to society with observation of past offenders.

 

[L. Declis]

Child Abuse
Rape
Murder
Abduction

I know I'm going to have people go for my throat, so I grab some sources along the way. I'll even use a reputable news source.

Well, let's go for murder as an example, shall we?

You've got your random-bloke with a hobby of stabbing people murderer. You've got your Lee Everett "I caught the bastard in bed with my wife" kind of murderer. You've got your "I thought he was a threat so I shot him" kind of murderer. You've got your drunken bar-fight and I slapped him upside the head in the wrong way kind of murderer. So you're far too vague for any kind of real discussion.

All crimes don't happen in a vacuum, there is context, circumstances, etc. You can't have a simple single punishment so you need to have multiple types of punishment, and give the judge leniency to do what is appropriate in the context.

And all the people who have said "death for murder/rape/child abuse"? What if the person is later acquitted? What if the person is the wrong person? It's happened often that they've done the death penalty and discovered later that the person was completely innocent. Is your response "Woops" or just "Well, it's worth punishing the innocent if we catch a few bad ones along the way"?

No false murderers? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18091903
No false rape charges? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-25089367
No failse adbuctions? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-17680364

Let's keep going. Some child abuse cases can be false memories. Yes, it happens. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2231560/BBC-crisis-Child-abuse-rumours-fuelled-zealot-loathes-Tories.html
Human memory is a fickle and unreliable thing. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24286258

If your answer is anything less than a full essay, your views are either simplistic or you don't understand morality, context, humanity, the legal system and "reasonable doubt". Throw in human error and there is a reason why we don't let lay-people handle matters of justice because they'll knee-jerk people into being hung, drawn and quartered.

 

[chinangel]

I'm curious what people come up with as I'm designing a justice system for an RP.

What kind of RP?

I'd just like to know some time settings, how advanced species, only humans or different races?

Then I can pick one, imagine what kind of world we're talking about, and make the punishment accordingly.

Thanks!

it's a fantasy rp where humans are very rare: primarily myth races and furries basically.

 

[Akytalusia]

just one? oh well. murder. death. simple.

 

[MysticSlayer]

Child Abuse: Tie them up and lock them in a room with a bunch of kids playing Call of Duty. They'll never want to go near another child again due to the bad memories.

Rape: The person must strip down naked in front a crowd of people representing the gender that was raped. They will then proceed to make fun the person for any reason they can think of.

Murder: The person must listen to the victim's mother, grandmother, or closest similar relative recount innumerable stories about the victim's life.

Abduction: The perpetrator must be a servant to the victim equivalent to the amount of time the victim was missing. It will start off relatively mild, but failure to do their duties means the job becomes more demeaning. The victim has free reign to do what they want with the perpetrator short of any other crime. Any torture or murder on the part of either person will lead to the murder punishment.

 

[Nomad]

On the other hand, removal of certain individual from society at large and even life itself would not be even noticed by 99.9999% of humans, ethical or not. Really, if you don't intend to release person to society at large for the rest of his life, caging that person is more of waste of resources and sadistic game than service to humanity.

The trouble with the alternative to lifetime incarceration (namely execution) is that it's irrevocable. You can't go "Oops, looks like we got something wrong after all" five years after you executed someone.

This viewpoint also only has a leg to stand on in the first place if you're going for lifetime (as in actual lifetime, not "40 years" or something) imprisonment with no possibility of parole or pardon. If it's a matter of "there is a chance that we may never be able to release this person", then there's still a chance that he or she will be ready for release at some point. You can't pardon someone that you executed last decade.

Lastly, I would personally prefer (actual) lifetime imprisonment to execution. I like living, and would also like to hang on to my life regardless of under what circumstances I have to live it. I'd prefer even horrible suffering to not feeling or thinking anything at all. At least then I would still have myself. So I'm not convinced that it'd be that much of a sadistic move in any event.

 

[MaAlGon3]

I have a punishment suggestion for all dangerous criminals: Blind them. That way, they can't ever commit a crime again and you don't have to kill them.

 

[PatrickXD]

The perpetrator is identified and made known to the public. The public can then choose whether or not to do business with the perpetrator. Goodbye all trade and business for the perpetrators of crime. You want to live outside our moral boundaries, you get to live outside of our economy, too.

 

[CloudAtlas]

The more suggestions I hear, the happier I am with the justice system and the sentences we already got (for the most part). And by "we", I'm referring to the western world in general, minus the US (sorry... with the death penalty, life sentences for drug use, no max. sentences, persecution of minors like adults, or stand your ground rules, I have to make this exception).

All these mutilation fantasies are just... ugh. They're coming from a dark place.

 

[DaWaffledude]

All crimes: Made to feel excruciating pain at the thought of penguins. Besides being hilarious, it also means if you're about to be attacked, you can yell "penguins" and there's a chance your attacker will fall over in pain and you can escape.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Child Abuse: Punishment is left up to the parents of the perpetrator. If the court deems the punishment is too light, a follow up prison sentence will do.

Rape: Kicked in the balls repeatedly. Forced to wear a locked chastity belt for the rest of their lives or atleast for a reasonable amount of years.

Murder: Forced to do an indepth research project on the victim. Must redo it until the court is satisfied. Followed up with therapy.

Abduction: Can choose between prison or being dropped off in a random remote location. If he is able to return to civilization, he is free to go (on parole, though).

 

[Nomad]

Child Abuse: Punishment is left up to the father of the perpetrator. If the court deems the punishment is too light, a follow up prison sentence will do.

First thought: Why the father? (and not the other parent?)
Also, why the father of the perpetrator?

Edit: Misread "perpetrator" as "victim" somehow.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

First thought: Why the father? (and not the other parent?)
Second thought: That would probably be less than ideal if the father is the abuser.

Perpetrator, not victim. I.e. the person who beat the kid. Fair enough about the father part.

 

[Nomad]

First thought: Why the father? (and not the other parent?)
Second thought: That would probably be less than ideal if the father is the abuser.

Perpetrator, not victim. I.e. the person who beat the kid. Fair enough about the father part.

Yes. I misread that part (and edited the question accordingly, albeit not fast enough). It just didn't make much sense to me to have the father of the perpetrator decide, so I mentally replaced it with "victim".

Really, though, why have the father (or parent in general) of the perpetrator decide?

 

[Strazdas]

Uhm...

Generally, castration only means removing the testicles. You can still get an erection after losing your balls.

Also, how will you apply that when it is a woman getting convicted of rape (happens a lot less, but still happens, so you need a plan for those exceptions).

Because all rapist are men.

Surely modern medicine knows how to solve that problem. besides, not getting its victims pregnant is always a bonus.

Also you say it as if there were no ways to make women loose the sex drive.

 

[Yopaz]

Rape. Castration is the method. This removes their ability to repeat said crime, and we dont want rapist breeding anyway.

Uhm...

Generally, castration only means removing the testicles. You can still get an erection after losing your balls.

Also, how will you apply that when it is a woman getting convicted of rape (happens a lot less, but still happens, so you need a plan for those exceptions).

Castration does remove testosterone from the system so it makes people less aggressive and less desiring of sex which may make the subject less likely to rape again. However I think I have read somewhere that lots of incidents are in fact about other things than sex such as power, mother issues, abuse, feeling impotent (castration would probably increase this feeling) and trauma. So I agree with you.

I'm for a system kinda like the one we have. Make judgements based on situation. Focus on rehabilitation over punishment.