When are the criminals gonna be criminalized instead of the innocent civilians?

Question

People are not perfect. That is a fact.

Yet, it makes me mad when I hear "Well, if they got scammed, they deserved it for being so stupid!", or "If they weren't stupid enough to go there (fill in the blank), this would NOT have happened"

The point is, we can all be fooled. How many times have you fell prey to a lie in a relationship? Or other areas of life, only to feel stupid later, gosh, how could I have been sucked in like that?

This kind of response to criminal behavior is like praising the criminals for being so much smarter than their prey, & placing the blame on the innocent people when the criminal gets away with the crime for being "smart".

By making innocent people feel dumb, this really discourages people from even reporting this kind of thing.

Why can't we just punish the criminal, show them we don't accept this kind of behavior so they won't do this to start with?

Are we so heartless in society as to criminalize people for being "dumb"?

Answer 1

I agree. In terms of sharing the blame: Everyone can make mistakes, but it doesn't mean they were asking for it. If I choose to leave my house unlocked, it is my choice to do so. If I get burglarized, it is the burglar's fault that my stuff is gone. Did I make a bad choice? Possibly, but I should have a reasonable expectation to not have my items taken because of that choice.
I worked with victims of Sexual Assault/DV. People who don't understand the dynamics of such things have a tendency to blame the victim for the assault, thereby victimizing them further.
I had a child that was raped by her mom's bf. She blamed the child (6 years old) for sitting on his lap and giving him the idea. This is an extreme example, but the point was, the child wasn't doing anything wrong, but the perception from her mom is that she was. Much like with society. What may appear to be a bad choice of the victim is really just a circumstance that may/may not have made a difference in the final outcome.

Answer 2

AMEN BROTHER!!!

Perhaps someday we'll get back to the Biblical punishments as well. Rape, Murder, Prostitution, and by extension Pimping would all be punishable by death. That would certainely improve our society.

Though I do agree that people today are far too careless and deserve what they get if they do something stupid. There is a point where the fault really does lie with the victim. For instance, the 3 Shell Game is one of the oldest cons in the world. If you are dumb enough to play with a hustler, you deserve what you get, but you learn your lesson don't you.

Answer 3

Although I agree that criminals should be forced to take repsonsibility for their actions, I also think that people often mistake the blame put on victims. I took a Victimology class during my undergraduate studies and we discussed this thoroughly. It's basically shared blame. For instance, if you leave the keys in your car and the doors unlocked overnight, then someone steals it, there is shared blame. Mathematically, it's tricky because it really equates to greater than 100% blame. The criminal must take 100% responsibility for breaking the law, but the victim must also take some responsibility for "aiding" this, perhaps 10 or 20% (leaving keys in car and leaving doors unlocked). Criminals are blamed for their actions, but victims are blamed for being negligent and allowing themselves to be suitable targets for criminals. It's a messed up thing, understandably, but it also forces people to take some responsibility and help in whatever ways possible that he/she can help prevent the commission of crimes.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

We don't punish people for being dumb.

Punishment means harming them or taking something away from them. The criminals who preyed on them did that.

It's not punishment to say "sorry, you made a mistake, and we (who were never involved before now) are not make it up to you.

Answer 6

I agree - 100%.
You answered your own question pretty thoroughly - I have nothing more to add.