A little story I wrote to inspire discussion about the ethics of social buck passing.
For Life
“Has the Jury reached a verdict?”
“The Jury has” Judge Julian had been on the bench for over 20 years. Apathy and indifference was always a challenge to him. He had seen so much trauma and sadness that he seemed to think of every trial as being yet again another exercise in futility. Within him he recognised a simmering anger that life had forced him into following a path that never yielded success and only ever yielded failure.
“Could the Jury Foreman read the verdict to the court?”
“We have found the defendant guilty your honour” The foreman announced in a voice loud enough to be heard through out the gallery. The foreman was determined like most on the jury to keep a straight face, showing no visible signs of emotion. After all they were just about to send a young man to the electric chair and did not want to be seen as happy about it.
The court erupted upon the announcement. Families of the victims stood and yelled their agreement and delight at the verdict. Reporters from the major media organisations rushed out of the court to make their phone calls.
As Judge Julian hammered his gavel onto the bench and called for order, he noticed an elderly man sitting silently at the back of the public gallery. He knew that this man was the defendants’ only family. He could see that the man who was the defendants’ grandfather was obviously distressed yet he sat there staring to the front with only a face of sadness expressing his feelings. His faded suit, with frayed edges and food stains down one sleeve indicating his social status.
Judge Julian remembered how many times he had seen such a scene and the futility of his job just gripped his heart like a vice, the jaws of frustration, holding his mind in their tight and overwhelming grip.
He was about to pass sentence on a man who he knew was nothing more than just a product of his society. A man who had killed 3 people as an act of despair. An act of frustration born of years of destitution and neglect
The judge called for quiet in the court and slowly the gallery settled down and a hush was sustained as they waited for his sentence to be handed down.
As he was about to pass sentence something inside the Judge changed and suddenly he knew what he was going to pass as a sentence. Suddenly he knew that he must sentence as he felt to be right and true.
“After hearing all the evidence and listening to all the witnesses, and after recognising the Juries verdict I must now pass sentence on this man.
But before I do I must say that after many years on the bench I have come to realise where the true guilt lies and where society is so happy to pass the blame for it’s lacking to those who suffer because of it.
This man has in my opinion only had one course in his life. Society has ignored him, his life and his actions have been determined by our neglect.
He is even now facing further neglect, as our duty of care has been shown to be lacking.
I therefore sentence the community to a life sentence of penance towards this man. This mans freedom is societies punishment for it’s neglect.
This man is free to go."
As Judge Julian left the bench for his chambers, the court in a state of stunned silence, he knew what he had done was actually resign from the bench. He knew his sentence would be subject to an appeal and he also knew his life in the legal profession was over.
For the first time in many years he smiled at himself and felt a great release from the responsibility of being the chief buck passer for society.
Retirement looked good indeed. "
I guess the question I wanted to explore is about how it is often forgotten how there is a shared responsibility for our actions. It is true that we must ultimately take responsibility for our individual actions but are we to take full responisbility when our actions are so often determined by events beyond our control?
It is a contraversial subject I realise and no doubt it will stimulate comments of the absurdity of its propositions.
It's just that every time a child is left to go hungry or is allowed to be abused, or we turn a blind eye to the tragedy on our streets we somehow then later claim no responsibility for the outcomes of that neglect.
That forcing people to live in poverty both financially and emotionally will somehow avoid our responsibility when one of those impoverished people reacts to what he may percieve as an injustice.
care to discuss?
For Life
“Has the Jury reached a verdict?”
“The Jury has” Judge Julian had been on the bench for over 20 years. Apathy and indifference was always a challenge to him. He had seen so much trauma and sadness that he seemed to think of every trial as being yet again another exercise in futility. Within him he recognised a simmering anger that life had forced him into following a path that never yielded success and only ever yielded failure.
“Could the Jury Foreman read the verdict to the court?”
“We have found the defendant guilty your honour” The foreman announced in a voice loud enough to be heard through out the gallery. The foreman was determined like most on the jury to keep a straight face, showing no visible signs of emotion. After all they were just about to send a young man to the electric chair and did not want to be seen as happy about it.
The court erupted upon the announcement. Families of the victims stood and yelled their agreement and delight at the verdict. Reporters from the major media organisations rushed out of the court to make their phone calls.
As Judge Julian hammered his gavel onto the bench and called for order, he noticed an elderly man sitting silently at the back of the public gallery. He knew that this man was the defendants’ only family. He could see that the man who was the defendants’ grandfather was obviously distressed yet he sat there staring to the front with only a face of sadness expressing his feelings. His faded suit, with frayed edges and food stains down one sleeve indicating his social status.
Judge Julian remembered how many times he had seen such a scene and the futility of his job just gripped his heart like a vice, the jaws of frustration, holding his mind in their tight and overwhelming grip.
He was about to pass sentence on a man who he knew was nothing more than just a product of his society. A man who had killed 3 people as an act of despair. An act of frustration born of years of destitution and neglect
The judge called for quiet in the court and slowly the gallery settled down and a hush was sustained as they waited for his sentence to be handed down.
As he was about to pass sentence something inside the Judge changed and suddenly he knew what he was going to pass as a sentence. Suddenly he knew that he must sentence as he felt to be right and true.
“After hearing all the evidence and listening to all the witnesses, and after recognising the Juries verdict I must now pass sentence on this man.
But before I do I must say that after many years on the bench I have come to realise where the true guilt lies and where society is so happy to pass the blame for it’s lacking to those who suffer because of it.
This man has in my opinion only had one course in his life. Society has ignored him, his life and his actions have been determined by our neglect.
He is even now facing further neglect, as our duty of care has been shown to be lacking.
I therefore sentence the community to a life sentence of penance towards this man. This mans freedom is societies punishment for it’s neglect.
This man is free to go."
As Judge Julian left the bench for his chambers, the court in a state of stunned silence, he knew what he had done was actually resign from the bench. He knew his sentence would be subject to an appeal and he also knew his life in the legal profession was over.
For the first time in many years he smiled at himself and felt a great release from the responsibility of being the chief buck passer for society.
Retirement looked good indeed. "
I guess the question I wanted to explore is about how it is often forgotten how there is a shared responsibility for our actions. It is true that we must ultimately take responsibility for our individual actions but are we to take full responisbility when our actions are so often determined by events beyond our control?
It is a contraversial subject I realise and no doubt it will stimulate comments of the absurdity of its propositions.
It's just that every time a child is left to go hungry or is allowed to be abused, or we turn a blind eye to the tragedy on our streets we somehow then later claim no responsibility for the outcomes of that neglect.
That forcing people to live in poverty both financially and emotionally will somehow avoid our responsibility when one of those impoverished people reacts to what he may percieve as an injustice.
care to discuss?
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