fandomhigh | Ethics Class - catch up session, 10am-4pm

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ethics

Ethics Class - catch up session, 10am-4pm

Tara posts the class list on the door, as promised in her email, detailing the gaps in each student's participation. Penned at the bottom in a neat round hand is a note: Some of you may have discussed these with TAs out of class. Please inform me if this is the case.

She looks happy and well-rested as she sets up discussion stations around the room.

[ooc: I'll put names on the comment threads for the people who haven't completed them, rather than listing up here. Because I'm odd that way.]

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"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."

For Angel, Archie, Belthazor, Bridge, Buffy, Callisto, Charlie, Chiana, Chloe, Faith, Lindsey, Logan, Phoebe, Piper, Quinn, Rory, Six, Stark, Sydney and Veronica.

"Well, it's been my experience that killing someone who does wrong to you and yours is a fairly effective means of preventing repeat behavior."

Tara nods, musing on this. "I guess that's true. Any issues with catching them, first?"

"Ideally, such a person would be caught right away, of course, not even a world run by me would be an ideal one, so there would have to be some form of police to track down the guilty."

"Can I skip this one?"

Tara blinks, surprised. "If you want to, certainly. You'll receive a non-participation grade, but it's your choice."

"Yeah...I'm, um, just not comfortable discussing punishments and stuff right now."

Tara nods, smiling gently. Tentatively, she touches his shoulder, wordlessly offering her support and understanding.

Bel tensed guiltily for a moment, then relaxed, looking a little relieved.

This one takes a while to write.

It depends on what they did. If they're off killing everyone, they should be locked up and sent to the hole like on those prison shows where they can't hurt anyone, because killing them is weird and messy and doesn't make other criminals stop doing anything anyway.

Phoebe is silent as she ponders this question. She has seen a lot of punishments that didn't seem to fit the crimes and a lot of crimes that had gone unpunished.

"Tara...I'm a quandry about this one..."

"Alright," Tara replies. "Take the best system you can think of, and tell me what's wrong with it. We'll go from there."

Buffy swallows. "The problem with this question is how to prove that the person is a danger to society. If so, the ethical and humae way of dealing with them is what becomes the confuion."

"Let's set aside the issue of proving it. If you know that they are dangerous, and already have them in custody... what do you do with them then?"

"I think a wrongdoer would have the best chance of rehabilitation in prison. Sometimes, though, the crime is so heinous that there's no chance of rehabilitation at all. These criminals could be punished with death, but I'd rather they suffer in prison for the rest of their lives. Death would be too easy."

"Um. I guess I'd send them to prison? Unless it was a really bad crime, or like, repeated a lot. Then I'd have them executed, because they're not gonna get better from that. But if I thought they could get better- like, they killed a person or three, and were sorry?- then they could like, go to jail and have parole and then go back to society. Cause everyone fucks up.

I'd make all the final decisions, though. Cause I'm in charge."

If someone is a danger, they should be removed from society. Not killed, that doesn't help. And not just locked up. There isn't one solution that will always work. Take them out of society and then try to rehabilitate, try to help them change. If they can change and they can prove they can change, then maybe they can be let out. But really, it all depends on what they did. And maybe why. Nothing will work every time.

"Lock'em up. If they're really a danger to society they shouldn't be a part of society. If they killed somebody, or did something else really violent, keep them locked up. If it was something less than that, something they can maybe be trusted not to do again, then try and rehabilitate them. While they're locked up, mind. The punishment should fit the crime, ideally. It's figuring out what punishment's appropriate that's tough. I know locking people up isn't the best solution for everything, but it's the best I've got right now."

"Take away their free will for a while. Make their existence revolve entirely around doing others' bidding." Archie's voice is harsh. "I've always thought that the pressgangs were quite the effective rehabilitation method under the right circumstances -- the hardships of life at sea with no status and no voice could make many a man reconsider what he might do if his life were once again his own."

Veronica writes:

I think the punishment should fit the crime. For example, a number of years back there was a story about a woman who strapped her kids into a car and pushed it into a body of water to kill them. I think she should have suffered the same fate.

If people fear they will suffer the same torment they would inflict on another, they might think twice before harming someone.

"Nothing works. If any kinds of punishment did work for every criminal, there'd be no crime. I could pick the death punishment, but then there's the ethical issue - it takes away someone's life with no chance for rehabilitation. I could pick physical punishment, but there's the whole thing about hurting people and it doesn't do much good in the long run anyway. Behavior modification is the same. It just fuels anger and revenge. Imprisonment is a drain on the tax payers and creates a culture of criminals. But I couldn't let the dangers to society get away with it. It's a no-win situation. What we've got now is okay, but it could use work. Everything is effective to a point, because we're still here and kinda safe, but it's not good enough. I can't think of anything better, though."

[ooc: We'll count this one as an Angelus-asked for exchange.]

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Ethics Class - catch up session, 10am-4pm

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