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That seems like the wrong line to draw here. Really, we may want to make sure we have a system where victims of crimes aren't afraid to come forward for help,
by anonporridge 4y ago
That seems like the wrong line to draw here.
Really, we may want to make sure we have a system where victims of crimes aren't afraid to come forward for help, for fear that coming forward may result in an increased likelihood that they themselves are caught for a crime they previously committed.
Even typing it out, it doesn't feel right. We obviously want to catch criminals, even those who are themselves victims of crime. But we also need to be practical and recognize that breaking cycles of victimization wherever you can is a social good, and that anything that makes people too afraid to interact with the law enforcement and justice system is problematic, because it expands the outlaw class.
I don't know if that's right, but it is my immediate thought.
- jcrawfordor 4y agoSome police departments have a policy of not arresting on some warrants when responding to a domestic violence or sexual assault call, because they don't want to discourage people calling about these kinds of cases just because they have a misdemeanor summons out or whatever. This seems like a very analogous situation: if rape kits can be used as evidence against the reporter, it will discourage anyone with minor criminal activity reporting rapes. This significant curtails a vulnerable population's access to law enforcement assistance and will advance a reputation that e.g. rape of sex workers will not be prosecuted.
- causi 4y agoReally, we may want to make sure we have a system where victims of crimes aren't afraid to come forward for help, for fear that coming forward may result in an increased likelihood that they themselves are caught for a crime they previously committed. People tried protesting this decades ago when the government started collecting fingerprints for everything. Get a federal job, give your fingerprints. Get a nursing license, give fingerprints. Get a carry permit, give your fingerprints. It didn't work then and I'm not sure it'll work now.
- anonporridge 4y agoThe dehumanization will continue until GDP improves.
- JumpCrisscross 4y ago> Get a federal job, give your fingerprints. Get a nursing license, give fingerprints. Get a carry permit, give your fingerprints. These are privileges. Justice after being raped is a right. If you’re running from arrest, it’s valid to bar you from nursing others or carrying a concealed gun.
- torstenvl 4y ago> Justice after being raped is a right. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inmates_of_Attica_Correctional_Facility_v._Rockefeller https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inmates_of_Attica_Correctional...
- JumpCrisscross 4y agoJustice doesn’t mean guaranteed prosecution. Not being able to even submit evidence without the threat of arrest is categorically separate from a prosecutor declining to prosecute a case they should have.
- torstenvl 4y agoYou do not have a right to prosecution. You do not have a right to submit evidence. You do not have a right to have an investigation conducted. You usually do not have a right to even have the police show up. You may not like that, but that is the law. Criminal law enforcement, including prioritization and de-prioritization, is the prerogative of the Executive.
- dhimes 4y agoSeems like a rounding error in the things we need to fix in criminal justice. Until it happens to me, of course....
- shadowgovt 4y agoThis is the right way to frame the thinking. If it wasn't illegal to use her DNA in this fashion, the law needs to be changed to make it illegal. The police have myriad tools to pursue property crime, and it does more good than harm to remove this one from their hands.