Effective Punishment

Ah, punishment…A widely talked about topic I must say. Why do we need punishment? Are we so ignorant of rules that we should have to resort to pain to ensure that one learns his or her lesson??? This brings up the topic of today’s justice system and to be specific, effective law and order. What is effective and what is not? Why is it that most of us label the meting out of harsh punishments to being more effective that giving more lenient punishments? It looks as if we humans, highly intellectual people I must add, are only capable of learning our mistakes through pain and torture. Surely something is amiss…

Today’s law and order has taken, from a personal point of view, a turn for the worse. The punishments seem to be getting harsher and harsher form each new crime being committed in today’s society. Just about a week ago, there was an officer form the Central Narcotics Bureau, who came to talk to all the students about the multitudes of highly addictive drugs being circulated among drug traffickers today, and off course, the punishments awaiting these drug traffickers. 24 strokes of the cane is one of the cruel punishments that await these traffickers. 24 stokes of the cane at one session!!! And we aren’t talking about the canes that we buy from any shop…Oh no, we’re talking about canes that are thicker than our index fingers and the people who met out the punishment are real professionals…I talking about people who take target practice to ensure that every shot lands spot on to ensure maximum pain. Sounds totally sick and sadistic right…Wait till you see the pictures…I guarantee that the next time you get even an ounce of craving for drugs, your hand will immediately be feeling for your behinds…

With reactions such as this, can’t it be said that the punishment is effective??? So it’s sadistic and all, but it does shove fear down our guts which does achieve its primary purpose: Making people fear facing the consequences for drug trafficking. Imagine issuing a normal jail sentence to one such drug trafficker. Sure, he’ll be confined but his mentality would simple be, “It’s just a small jail sentence. I’ll just be extra cautious next time. What’s the worse that could happen?” So, in this context, pain does serve as effective punishment.

Another thing I would like to talk about is about one of the stories that was shown on the “Taboo” video shown in school. Though I’ve forgotten exactly what country it was in, but I would like to highlight what its crime punishment ritual works. You see, law and order in this particular place revolves around religion and beliefs. Unlike in countless other places today, where criminals are convicted of their crimes in courts, this particular place goes one step further. Should there be a case where the criminal cannot be properly convicted in court due to reason such as lack of evidence, there is a ritual whereby both the accused and the accuser must dip their hands into a pot of boiling oil and retrieve a ring inside the pot. It’s believed that he person who’s guilty will have their hands burned while those who are actually innocent will not be greatly harmed.

The video actually showed an instance whereby the method worked and the correct person was identified for his crimes. Though the accuser had to go through pain of dipping his own hand into the oil, the purpose of the ritual was served. You see, the mere thought of dipping his hand into a pot of boiling oil was so ludicrous and downright scary was too much for him to handle, that he confessed on the spot. Off course, the punishment was served in full force through public humiliation.

Crucially, what I am driving at, is that every community will have its view one what it considers to be effective punishment or effective law and order. To them, it doesn’t matter if its painful, ludicrous, or downright crazy, as long as it serves its purpose of making people think twice about committing a crime, to them its effective. But for all our sakes, lets just hope that this notion of using boiling oil to solve modern day crimes and disputes never ever surfaces in Singapore no matter how effective it is…