Today's MOZEN: Crime and Punishment 4/15/2015

Words and photo by F LoBuono

A post on Facebook has been making the rounds lately. It calls for an end to the cruelty associated with animal testing. Great. I'm all for it. But, it does not end there. It states that we could eliminate the need for testing on animals IF we use convicted pedophiles instead. Really.

I find this outrageous but many others find it completely reasonable. These people would argue that pedophiles are the lowest of the low. Those who commit crimes against the most innocent, i.e. children, are not deserving of any amount of compassion. None. They have no redeeming value what-so-ever. In fact, they should be singled out for worst type of abuse. It's easy to think that way. When we see someone callously hurt a child or a defenseless animal we want to strike out and make them pay and pay dearly. We want more than justice. We want revenge. And, we want it doled out with the maximum amount of pain. Somehow, by inflicting this cruelty on the perpetrators, we feel that justice will be served - "this will serve as a deterrent to any other who might even THINK about harming a child".

Nonsense.

First, the threat of cruel punishments has never been an effective deterrent to crime. Statistics show that even the threat of the death penalty does not necessarily decrease the number of crimes committed where that option is viable. So, that logic does not stand up to scrutiny. Second, and most importantly, the object is to ELIMINATE ALL CRUELTY whenever, and wherever, it may be found. Exchanging one type of cruelty for another does not eliminate the cruelty! In fact, it further perpetuates an attitude of hate and abuse that only feeds on itself. It becomes a terrible cycle that never ends. In fact, abusers usually become that way because they themselves were almost invariably abused as children. So, what are we teaching? What are we gaining? Are we eliminating the problem? Obviously, we are not.

Now, let's get this clear as well: pedophiles do not get to walk away free. There is such a thing as crime and punishment. Those who commit the crime must be prepared to do the time. However, there is a clear difference between justice and revenge. We, as civilized people, must distinguish between the two. Justice is sublime. When applied equally our society thrives. People have faith in the judicial system. When we act out of revenge and hate, we doom ourselves to a never ending cycle of cruelty and brutality where an eye for an eye just leaves the whole world blind. Don't be afraid of the light. We only need open our eyes to see it.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that". Martin Luther King.