Arminius wrote:
Macbeth wrote:
Arminius wrote:
I agree that something like probation and compulsory therapy might be more effective, but that has nothing to do with him being on the spectrum. Our whole justice system is ineffective, expensive, by turns lax and draconian, and bad at preventing recidivism. The man knew right from wrong and should be punished like anyone else. I just wish the penalties for everyone were more useful.
I grow weary of saying this: Knowing Right from Wrong is NOT the same as understanding what is legal and what is not.
Ignorance of the law does not excuse people who break it. Whether he understands what is legal is not the question in an insanity defense, which is the only way he could argue that Aspergers should exonorate him. An insanity defense only holds water if the defendant could tell right from wrong. That said, I think it is stupid and overly harsh that this guy is going to jail. There must be a positive way to channel his interest. I think he should pay the same penalty as anyone else, but I disaprove of jail time as a penalty for this offence for anyone. The justice system likes simple solutions, like sending someone to prison, for complex situations. I think he should be held accountable for his actions and have to deal with what society has decided is a reasonable consequence for them even though I disagree with that consequence.
I'm not talking about ignorance of the law, though I do consider that if you do not know something is verboten, that should be taken into account. What I am referring to is the psychology that allows people to believe that a law should not or does not apply to them. I referenced pro-drugs threads before as a great example. All those stoners believe that the law against smoking a bit of puff should not and do not apply to them, and have a variety of entertaining and sometimes very good arguments for why. But the law still applies to them, even if they choose to ignore it. Its quite possible that some aspies can decided that a law is immoral, badly-thought-out or just plain wrong, and such is our psychology that we can believe that our "reason" is good enough to counteract that injustice. It may not apply to THIS particular case, but then my argument all along has not been about this particular individual, but the general attitude of a group of people who spend half their time blathering on about how they don't understand this that or the other social rule, or that such rules are ridiculous or unfair, and in the same breath damn someone for breaking another rule.
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"There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart,
that you can't take part" [Mario Savo, 1964]
22 Jan 2011, 4:44 am
