The Governments, schools, universities and almost 100% people believe that when a punishment for a crime is reported in the media, it deters others from committing crime. All legal systems are based on this premise. Be it the ‘Retribution theory’ or ‘Reformation theory’ – all aim at the larger goal of preventing members of the society from criminal activities. Hence ‘Crime and Punishment’ are reported in the media.
The guilty must be punished. The legal dictum is: Let ten criminals go free, but let not an innocent be punished. This does not gel with the guilty being punished. If the statement ‘guilty must be punished’ is true then the dictum must be: Let ten innocents be punished, but let not a criminal go free. In ‘criminals go free’ more importance is being given to the innocents; and where as in ‘let innocents be punished’ more emphasis is on the criminal & his being caught. Are you wondering why am I talking of the ‘Innocents being punished’? Well, this is the price that the society has to pay should they desire, the crime should not be encouraged.
Anyway, it is understood that ‘Crime and Punishment’ must be widely reported/publicized. This will a warning to others – not to indulge in crime or they will end up being punished. I completely disagree with this idea.
Plato said: A successful thief must be more intelligent than the police. Both dictums ‘Let 10 criminals go free’ / ‘Let 10 innocents be punished’ completely ignore Plato. Only those thieves are caught who are not intelligent than the police. Being more intelligent than the police = not being caught, being successful. The law seems to think of itself very smart. It is not so. Their stupidity is evident in “every criminal will leave evidence’. They underestimate a criminal’s intelligence. In my opinion only those criminals who are less intelligent than the police alone will leave evidence.
In the case of ‘Crime & Punishment’ media coverage of unintelligent criminals only informs that if you are more intelligent than the police, you can never be caught! For every one unintelligent crime reported, there are 999 intelligent criminals whose work is never reported. They are more intelligent than the police!
Whenever I read of some crime, the criminal being caught and subsequent punishment, I actually read of the success stories of 999 people whose activities are beyond the comprehension of law. If the entire legal system of the world is burdened with according punishment to an unsuccessful criminal, then an intelligent one must celebrate. Don’t you think so?
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.
What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com
