[Converse Rocker]

(Original post by thinbeard)
Vigilantes

(Original post by silverbolt)
Would you be saying that if they came for you?

This was going to be my point exactly. I don't think you'd be too happy thinbeard if you were incorrectly targeted, or someone in your family etc.

Vigilantism is a pretty dangerous thing to condone; there's no way of controlling what people will do to someone, even if they get an actual criminal. We can't really support people killing others in the street based on what they read somewhere. Not to mention it's really dangerous; these guys in America that run round in costumes are often stabbed or shot, provided they don't get arrested themselves first.

Although I will agree with the OP that some sentencing is ridiculous, either way too short or too long.

[Mequa]

The fact of human nature is that, when enough people don't feel the State-based justice system is doing its job properly, there will be some willing to take matters into their own hands. The solution isn't simply to stamp out those willing to do so and defend the State (which is quite totalitarian really). That ignores the real source of social problems which lead to vigilantism. What is needed is real open debate as to what constitutes justice, the State's role in providing it, and any deficiencies or corruption in the latter's implementation.

Nevertheless, expecting a populace to tolerate what is perceived as widespread injustice and corruption from the powers-that-be, without seeing attempts at vigilantism and/or revolution, does seem quite naive. Not to mention, no less dangerous than vigilantism itself.

[IRSP044]

So some people oppose community action against scumbags wrong because they may get the wring person? But when the state punish people it's okay?

Does that mean your saying that it's okay for the government too wrongly convict and imprision people, to torture confessions from them and even murder innocents?
Some people need to wake up here!

[A.J10]

(Original post by IRSP044)
So some people oppose community action against scumbags wrong because they may get the wring person? But when the state punish people it's okay?

Does that mean your saying that it's okay for the government too wrongly convict and imprision people, to torture confessions from them and even murder innocents?
Some people need to wake up here!

We don't torture and we don't have the death penalty. Its not right when the state convicts the wrong person, which is why the whole trial thing exists, to reduce the chance of that happening. Additionally state justice tends to be less emotionally charged, so people get imprisonment instead of stabbed.

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my E15i