Friday Ethics Class, 8-10am

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara's eyes are shadowed as she greets the class, tension permeating her body.

"I'm sure you've all heard the announcement by now. Angelus has been accused of killing Kitty Pryde - which leaves us short one TA, but up an interesting Ethical question.

"Today we're going to discuss punishment for crimes done."

Comments

Second Hour

[brambless.livejournal.com]

"Let's pretend that you run the world. This world, that we inhabit together in all our diversity, even if your home world is very different.

"How do you a wrongdoer who is a danger to society and the people within it? Explain to me your plan for punishment and/or rehabilitation, and justify why you think it would be effective."

Re: Second Hour

[lisacuddy.livejournal.com]

"I really don't know the answer to that question anymore," Lisa replies in a blunt manner. "Now knowing that there really is magic, for example. I don't have an issue with people who can use magic, but I don't understand it at all, and I couldn't even begin to try and devise some sort of penal system to hold the few who do commit crimes. Sentencing guidelines, not mandatory sentences, and a judiciary system that has several levels so that no one person holds another's fate in his or her hands. So that situations can be studied and addressed properly. Other than that, I really couldn't begin to consider the question."

Re: Second Hour

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"I heard of some kind of isolation zone, once... some place where a person could be placed, sideways in time from us, able to see us but not effect us. That might be a start." Parker's tapping a fingernail on her lower lip. "Visits from counselors to check on them, maybe try to help them understand their wrongdoing, if possible. It *should* be effective-- isolation is one of the most disliked experiences a human or other social creature can experience; that's why it's kept for real troublemakers in prison. Seeing what they wish to participate in, without being able to experience it, should provide motivation.

Or, it could just be torture. Hard to be sure; that's what the counselors would be for. If it wasn't working, something else would have to be tried."

Re: Second Hour

[brambless.livejournal.com]

Tara shoots a glance at Parker. Either this is spookily appropriate, or Parker knows.

Re: Second Hour

[wraithbaitjohn.livejournal.com]

Frighteningly enough, I kind of like a situation I saw read about once.

Now, I'm altering species names to protect the innocent, but the basic idea is this...

You take an island that cannot be reached by boat or plane or other means and cannot be escaped from. You get everyone on it off (assuming it was inhabited) and then take all your 'problematic' sorts and dump them on the island with the bare minimal survival supplies.

The catch? You periodically drop a hungry lion or tiger or bear. Oh my! on the island. Whoever the lion can catch and eat is lunch. Everyone else can form their own society with whatever laws or lawlessness they want.

Then you don't have to worry about the lion preying on your 'good' population and you aren't 'caging' people, taking their lives or whatever else. And they aren't a prioblem for your 'good' population, as they've been removed.

This is, of course, assuming that you've ruled out mental instability or deficiency as the cause for the crime. Those people obviously need rehab. I'm just talking about your perfectly competant, perfectly sane wack jobs.

Re: Second Hour

[valentine-tart.livejournal.com]

"If I ran the world If I decide to be Matriarch of the Nietzscheans... I'd give dangerous people and sociopaths appropriate outlets for their needs. Maybe find worlds to give them and people who have matching needs to be preyed on. Or set them loose in a tech-cordoned off area of space to play with each other.

"Free choice. Free will. For them and for others. No punishment needed."