Crime and Violence

If there is one event that haunts this writer to this day, it was the time when he talked with a crime victim, whose fear in the eyes was staggering.

The victim shall never be named for the reason that being victimized by a crime is such an intimate matter, the secrets of which are usually well-guarded by the people who experience them.  Anything that we imagine that we know about others is best known to them.  So, crime is their personal experience, no matter what. However, that is not a reason for society to remain uninvolved.

The rate of crime and violence in our society continues to escalate, and if we do not act with swift deliberation, then all of us will become part of that silent and ashamed community of helpless victims.

We have every reason to interfere. Most of us go through life believing that crime and violence will never happen to us. But it does, and by the time we want to actively prevent crime, it is often too late. A friend, a loved one; we all have already been victimized.

The problems of others must be guarded by us in all sincerity.  This is to ensure that the problems would not spread like plague among other members of other communities.  Therefore it is incumbent upon us to stop crime in its tracks lest it spreads like wildfire to create a conflagration too big and terrible for any one of is to try to stop.

Life is too rich and joyful to be spent on crying spells and martyrdom.  Indeed the misery of crime victims and their loved ones deserves justice, each and every one of them. So let us give these crime victims and criminals alike what they deserve: justice, the swift and instant type that will sow fear in the hearts of the cold-hearted criminals and give a sense of retribution to those who have suffered in the hands of these heartless criminals.

What would it take to eradicate crime and violence? Well, first of all, we would have to fight crime and violence in the frontline, and use the weapons that they have against them. Fear has always been an effective deterrent of any action.

People are paralyzed by fear, and that is true of hardened criminals as well as unsuspecting victims. Indeed we are lucky that we are in this position, to use fear to turn a dire situation around and use it to our advantage. With a thankful attitude, therefore, we should not want to fall into the trap of crime and violence by refusing to use violence ourselves.

The proposal then is to kill anyone on sight anyone who has been seen committing a crime, regardless of the type of crime, no questions asked. Every type of crime must be given swift retribution, no matter how small or petty, the punishment is death on sight, no deliberations, and no hesitations.

How does it work? Simple. The person witnessing the crime is sanctioned by the state to kill the criminal or suspected criminal on sight. If the victims are able to do it themselves and kill their attacker, then so much the better; however, that is not possible in most cases, so anyone can do it, before, during, and after the crime has been committed.  What would it cost us to directly kill criminals?  None at all. In fact society stands to gain so much more by doing so.

The most important advantage would be the elimination of crime because criminal would be too scared to commit violence or any illegal act. The decision to commit crime and violence is generally regarded as a product of rational thinking.

As such, it is with certainty that crime and violence can be best prevented through immediate, swift punitive action. These forms of punishment or retribution will discourage criminals because they fear the punishment more than they want to commit the illegal acts.

The choice to become a criminal is largely dependent on the threat of punishment or being caught. If they think they will not get caught, then they will commit a crime without hesitation. But if we send the message that the price for crime is death, then that will change the scenario altogether. If criminals know what is at stake, then they will hesitate and think if the benefits of the crime outweigh the risk involved.

All of us, even the most hardened of criminals value our lives. Nothing is more precious. And if we kill criminals on sight, then the fear of possible death would deter would-be criminals from ever doing anything bad. They know the consequences of doing so, and the risk is too high, even for anti-socials and repeat offenders. Hopefully, these people will regard their lives as too precious to be wasted on empty and meaningless violence and crime. As previously mentioned, use to fear to sow fear, violence to stop violence.

Most criminals believe that they can get away with violence because the law takes too long to arbitrate and dispense justice. When justice is delayed, it is indeed denied for the victims, and the delay encourages criminals to keep on doing what they feel they have gotten away with. And that is the root of our endless problems with crime and violence; our deliberate approach to justice has been ineffective because while it means well, it inadvertently protects the criminals.

Killing criminals on sight addresses the issue of dispensing justice and preventing crime and violence all at the same time.

An accidental, but nevertheless important benefit of this proposal involves cost-effectiveness. When we kill criminals on sight, we would eliminate the need for a penitentiary system. The cost of building and maintaining prisons is very high and eats a lot of state resources. If all criminals are killed, then jails would no longer be needed, and the funds used for the upkeep of prisons and the care of prisoners could then be channeled for more productive ends.

Moreover, because there is no penitentiary system to maintain, the citizens will no longer have to subsidize its costs and that could translate to lesser taxes. Lesser taxes would mean more disposable income for the family. When there is more money to go around, the spending power of every household is increased, which can very well improve our country’s overall economy.

The existing prison facilities can then be converted to other money-making facilities such as museums, spa and wellness centers, theaters, shops, and other similar places. This one benefit alone can bring about a cascade of benefits that can have far-reaching and long-lasting effects.