Rapists- Deserving of mercy?

There's no such thing as a soul.

I'd rather be raped than lose an arm, a tongue or an eye. My opinion might change after being raped, of course, but I doubt it. You can get over being raped, you can't re-grow an arm, or an eye, or your tongue.

 

sigh...

thank you for your incredibley insightful post... furthering the discussion to the relevant topic.

pfftt.

 

As a US attorney, here's the general skinny on US law (I'm assuming you're quoting Aussie law?)

1. Sexual Assault in the US ranges anywhere from a low grade misdemeanor to a felony of the first degree. Rape, in many US jurisdictions, doesn't require much in the way of penetration. For example, PA's law uses the term "penetration however slight", which means just that. Tab A anywhere near Slot B by forcible compulsion = Rape.

2. Self-Defense and defense of a third party does NOT require that you actually witness a crime or needto see evidence of a crime. It only requires that you reasonably believe that you or a third person is in danger and that you meet like force with like force. A man manhandling a woman certainly fits. You can't shoot him, but you can punch him, no need to sit back and wait for the clothes to start being ripped off.

Maverick, you never get over something as violative as a sexual assault, sexual abuse, or rape. Just ask my clients or their victims. This has got to be one of the least-informed posts on this thread.

Ugh, don't even get me started. There is a fine line between what is appropriate and what's actually going on, at least here in the states.

People in the US want vengance from the legal system, not justice, there's a difference. I personally see no need for all this Megan's Law crap, it only makes things worse. Telling someone he MUST register with the local state police and can potentially have his name published all over the place as a sexual offender thereby costing him his job, his family (if he's even lucky enough to have one), and his home is NOT helping to get him back in to society. You're just making someone who most likely just spent at least five years in prison and even more bitter person more likely to be violent. Great, nice job!

It's even worse for kids. Kids are lucky, juvenile offenders get treatment. Unless it takes a while, then they risk getting committed to a mental hospital. That's helping how? "Gee, you're not responding fast enough to treatment, let's put you in a mental hospital for a few years!" Yup, that's right, this is the law as it applies to some uvenile offenders.

How are these decisions made? Usually on the basis of stuff the offenders have talked about in treatment! That's right, commit a sexual offense, get put in treatment, and then everything you say in treatment gets used against you. Not really encouraging people to work with the system, now is it?

Rapists should be punished, just like any other criminal. But we have to be somewhat reasonable for crting out loud.

 

I disagree.

Don't try and make out that I think being raped is anything less than horrific.

I would just personally prefer it (if you forced the choice upon me now) to permanently losing a limb, or an eye, or my tongue. Because you absolutely cannot grow them back, and you will always be a cripple, or half blind, or unable to speak properly.

To be honest I don't think this is worth arguing about mate, it will just go off-topic.

 

Retitle the thread then mate. The thread has been titled with an interrogative, which invites opinion. You have mine.

Pffftt

 

LOL!

Thank you for posting.

 

Rape can be recovered from, it's happened to somoen I know and love when they where a child and though they havent got over it I wouldnt say that they will never get over it.

On the subject of punishment I think that convicted rapists should be sentenced to life for the simple reason that I can see no argument that should allow them to be free and force their victims to start living in fear of them ever returning to them. It's not fair, they remove the innocence of their vistim and they take away something that the victim uite possibly may never replace, why should on top of that be piled the worry that they muight come back and do it again?

 

Hmm... interesting issues you point out.

What do people here think about chemical castration as both a punishment and a means to stop repeat offenders?

 

Not really good enough.

From a practical standpoint human rights activists would object and like the deatyh sentence it doesn't leave grounds for appeal.

From the victims standpoint the guy is still at large and capable of hurting them simply to get revenge, it does'nt have to be sexual assault, it could be plain old assault and battary(sp?).

 

actually, i would much much rather lose a limb or whatever than be raped. losing a limb is purely physical. i can have prothsetics made, i can still carry on my day to day life. many people born with physical disabilities have never known otherwise and am sure get on the same as us.
if i got raped, it would be mental torture. my life would be put on hold, i would feel extremely violated and probably not able to have a relationship again for a very long time. there would be no physical cures apart from anti depressants and being knocked out all day till the nightmare leaves my mind. sometimes i would rather die than be raped. it's the worse thing that could happen, its the worse violation of your body. sex is something intimate and related to love, and someone abusing that in the complete opposite way is my idea of hell.
so what if i havnt got an arm or an eye? at least im happy and free of worries and psycological problems. in my opinion!
you should say "there is no such thing as a soul IN MY OPINION" it's not fair that you state something as if you know it for sure.

 

Violative of the 8th Amendment prohibitions against Cruel and Unusual Punishment. Welcome to Con Law 101, lol.

 

Not really. The loss of a limb has a massive pyschological trauma associated with it. Much of the therapy for people who amputee's is not only physical but mental and emotional as well. This is why often people who lose limbs and even digits often for years afterword can still 'feel' the limb.

People born with a disability for the most part have never known otherwise... so they don't have the same trauma as someone who has had a limb and then lost it. Two fairly different cases from the trauma/pysche standpoint I would imagine.

hmm.. while that is your opinion many people have been raped and have dealt with it to a degree that they resume their lives. Obviously there is trauma there... but what I find interesting is that much of that trauma is amplified culturally. I know several people who were victims of serious abuse/rape in the west and it really wrecked them... they had a very long time before their life in terms of their sex life, their sexuality and their general fear level came anywhere near to what it was prior to the incident.

On the other hand I know people here in Asia who have been abused/raped and they on the whole seem to be much more pragmatic about it. What I mean is that they haven't got the option - either financially or culturally for all kinds of therapy and time spent away from work- to let the trauma have such a massive effect.

I'm think much of that comes down to culture. Not that there is any culture where rape is 'acceptable'... except for the minority of cultures where rape is used as revenge tool in blood fueds by both sides (India, Pakstan and Afghanistan).

Here in Asia there ramapant sexual slavery... which would be like rape over a very long time period. Yet in many cases these women manage to go on and live relatively normal lives. I doubt that this would be the same for women in the west. Again - I'm not sure 100% why this is... culture? religion? both?

Just some food for thought.

*zips flame retardent suit over devil advocate suit*

I think if you've gone through the reality of losing an eye or an arm would greatly change or perhaps 'inform' you opinion here. Recently I spent several weeks with very little sight in my right due to a severe corneal laceration and subsequent fungal infection - that was very close to becoming meningitis! I can tell you the mental/emotional issues that you deal with not mention the practical issues are massive. Absolutely massive. One minute you are used to doing everything independantly as you always have and the next you are literally reliant of many people to eve just the most basic of things... it's nuts.

Anyhow - none of this is having a go at you personally.. but more just to really dig into the deeper issues surrounding the subjects at hand.

 

I was under the impression that not so long ago California had castration laws in place and the Alabama was another state that was battling it out to get them put in place.

Has the SC ruled that it's across the board a violation of the 8th ammendmant as a punishment for sexual offenders?

 

Have to check, but that's a gut instinct. Then again, can't trsut this damn court.

As for your reply to cavallin's post, not going to flame you, but will say this:

The US, and probably Europe, tends to focus on victims. It seems your area of the world probably just focuses on the offenders, and the vics are just expected to "move on". I agree that the cultures seem to dictate how the vics react.

 

i agree that it's most probably to do with my culture. i also agree that i would have emotional trauma from losing an eye/limb, but i do believe that it wouldn't compare to the emotional trauma of rape FOR ME. that's how i see it. im my head i think rape/losing a limb and i would rather the 2nd one. i can't be 100% sure unless both happen to me, but personnally i just can't stand the idea of rape.
as for mercy...castration would be ideal.ps: what do u mean my are of the world? i am from europe?!

 

Castration, chemical or otherwise, seems ideal to me on the first offense. However, they really need to make sure that they did it. There are a lot of cases where there was no rape. A prime example would be Tucker Carlson of Crossfire being accused of rape raping a woman he had never met in a city he had never visited while speaking in another state. If you can avoid the problem of getting the innocent person, then castrate the person.

 

I think he means Europe has a little different laws and how they treat crimes than the US.

 

Physical castration would remove the desire and the ability to rape someone, right?
How would chemical castration work? Does it destroy testosterone or something? And how would you know if it works, it would have to go through some trial first, or do you just rely on evidecene from nazi Germany?

 

that's exactly what I mean. I am not in Europe or the west. I think 99% of the people on this site are currently living in the west.. primarily either the UK or the US.