Thursday 18 October 2012

The State vs Christie Marceau

The first job of the state, its only legitimate role, is to protect the individual rights of its citizens—to protect each individuals’ rights to life, liberty and pursuit of property and happiness.

To protect our lives.

imageIt failed to protect Christie Marceau.

The primary purpose of incarceration is not to punish criminals. It is not to teach them a lesson, nor to turn them around. The primary purpose is protection. Protection for the harmless, like Christie Marceau, from the harmful, like her murderer.

The state, in the person of Justice McNaughton, failed Christie Marceau when it released on bail a man who had already been charged for kidnap and assault and attempted rape—for her kidnap and assault and attempted rape.

Justice McNaughton failed Christie Marceau.

The injustice system failed Christie Marceau—as it fails all of us when it fails to prosecute with sufficient swiftness, so because of long delays in coming to trial it releases on bail, and continues to release on bail, those charged with violence.

This is unconscionable. The price is paid in the blood of innocent people.

People like Christie Marceau.

And forget this nonsense of “not guilty by reason of temporary insanity.”

Guilty is guilty. Guilt properly should not require that you know you did wrong, that you understand what a moral action looks like, or that you were or were not in the grip of voices telling you to kill. It should not require this because the primary purpose of justice is not punishment. It is protection.

Protection for innocents like Christie Marceau.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

This shows to me the confused position of libertarians. They acknowledge the state's incompetence when it comes to providing services such as education and health but somehow think it will be good at protecting people? I've never been able to work that one out.

Anonymous said...

"The state, in the person of Justice McNaughton, failed Sophie Marceau when it released on bail a man who had already been charged for kidnap and assault—for her kidnap and assault."

You named here the French actress... ;-)

Sandrine L.

Peter Cresswell said...

@Sandrine: Oops! Fixed. Thanks.

Anonymous: Short answer: because education and health respond to market demand. But there cannot be a market in force.

twr said...

The primary libertarian objection to state involvement isn't that it's incompetent, it's that it's wrong. Otherwise, all you'd need to argue is that the state needs to do the wrong things better, like conservatives often do.

Anonymous said...

This young lady and also the nut bar that murdered her, live not far from our home (a few houses away). The young lady was a polite, kind , gentle soul who used to talk to my daughter and son when they where in the park relaxing, always seemed to be happy and carefree. I also remember that guy hanging around the area and being the complete opposite.
How can thoses associated with letting Him go free , the psychologists etc not now be getting there arses sued off in a civil suit. Cant blame the cops , weve called the local cops before and they have been excellent with their response but cant be everywhere all the time.
Being able to sue beauracrats is the only way to make them accountable , they see no bars to their agencys ability to sue the taxpayer. Should be just as easy to sue them back......
No accountability leads to this kind of result , do you think the judge would have let him out if the psycholigists where accountable...I think not.
Shame is this will repeat itself over and over , maybe not always in terms of a murder ....
Should not have happened in the first place.

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