Do you think any crime committed against a child is more grievous than one committed against an adult?
Generally speaking, children, unlike adults, are a vulnerable population incapable of protecting themselves or of making rational decisions.
One of the duties of the law is to protect vulnerable populations. That's why statuatory rape is a crime, for example. It's also why organizations like DFCS exist, because children, by definition, lack access to the resources necessary to defend themselves.
There's also this idea that childhood is a time of innocence, play, and exploration, and early confrontation with adults in decidedly adult situations (rape is one, war is another) irrevocably ends childhood.
I don't think the death penalty should be used in either case, but I'm not comfortable with saying that crimes against children are qualitatively the same as crimes against adults.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
chiming
just thinking out loud...
Date: 2008-06-25 09:15 pm (UTC)From:Generally speaking, children, unlike adults, are a vulnerable population incapable of protecting themselves or of making rational decisions.
One of the duties of the law is to protect vulnerable populations. That's why statuatory rape is a crime, for example. It's also why organizations like DFCS exist, because children, by definition, lack access to the resources necessary to defend themselves.
There's also this idea that childhood is a time of innocence, play, and exploration, and early confrontation with adults in decidedly adult situations (rape is one, war is another) irrevocably ends childhood.
I don't think the death penalty should be used in either case, but I'm not comfortable with saying that crimes against children are qualitatively the same as crimes against adults.