The system of justice is a strange system.
Its presence is both funny and re-assuring.

So, I got thinking about the aim of justice.
Justice means the quality of being just or fair.
But what’s justice to some maybe injustice to others.

The Nazi heroes were termed as war criminals.
The Indian revolutionaries were termed as terrorists.
Even today we have some terrorists/revolutionaries in India.
These people want independence from mainland India.
I am not sympathising with anyone.
Just pondering.

Suppose a region has been neglected for a long time.
Its resources are not utilised to benefit the region.
The politicians don't care about the region.
The mainstream media does not even know that the region exists.
Any thinker is gunned down by police.
Some radical forms a party and starts a war for independence.
They go on a rampage.
Killing police officials and politicians.
They are branded as terrorists by the media.
So what actually are they?
Of course real life situations are not as simple as this...

For me the justice system needs to have 3 basic qualities
1. being fair and equal to all
2. reformation of criminals
3. prevention of crimes

The punishments also need to deter the criminals.
Lets take the death sentence.

In the following cases, should the criminal be sentenced to death?
1. A terrorist/revolutionary of the above kind.
2. A drunk who hits and kills anyone. (not necessarily children,
we tend to over sympathise if the victim is a child)
3. A robbery gone wrong with a killing of someone.
4. A rape turned into a kill.
5. Someone who just likes to kill people.
6. An individual who kills his/her unfaithful spouse.
7. A school-shooting.
8. Killing in self-defence.



In majority of the cases, would you support the death sentence..

1. is it fair? Yes, because the victim(s) also lost his life.
2. can the criminal be reformed? now this is tricky.
Suppose the person who committed one of the above, wails,
is remorse, repentant - he can be reformed.
But do we want him reformed or do we want to be fair?
Or what if he is just acting that way?
3. will future crimes be prevented? By death sentence, one is dead.
But will it create a deterrence? not necessarily so.
Maybe a future criminal will just go ahead and accept his fate,
so commits the crime.


Well the random thoughts did not lead to anywhere. Anyways !