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Justice or mercy?

Justice or mercy?

  • Total voters
    23
LaMidRighter said:
While I agree, there's crime and the criminal. For criminals justice really is the only recourse, if say, someone was pushed to it by extreme circumstance and isn't necessarily criminally minded cutting them a break seems a little more palatable.
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Or it teaches them that they can get away with it. Eh, I'm just not very nice. :mrgreen: As a general rule, I try to keep myself out of situations where I need either. Others should do the same.
 
Kelzie said:
Or it teaches them that they can get away with it. Eh, I'm just not very nice. :mrgreen: As a general rule, I try to keep myself out of situations where I need either. Others should do the same.
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S'all good. I am usually more of a fan of justice myself, but again everything is circumstancial when it comes to a topic like this. Without an actual set of events it's impossible to either/or.
 
I believe as others here do that it depends on the situation and the people involved. I'm also fond of these sayings:

"Mercy seasons Justice"
Shakespeare "Merchant of Venice" Act IV sc. i.

"For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over judgment. " James 2:13, NET Bible <ca 65>

 
hiswoman said:
I believe as others here do that it depends on the situation and the people involved. I'm also fond of these sayings:

"Mercy seasons Justice"
Shakespeare "Merchant of Venice" Act IV sc. i.

"For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over judgment. " James 2:13, NET Bible <ca 65>

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I personally like a little paprika on my justice, but to each their own. :mrgreen:
 
I guess the problem comes that without any certainty in the law there will be no justice.Every case that has been brought has different circumstances but sadly we do have to generalise.
 
There is no mercy without blind justice that is doled out consistently and equitably.
 
jallman said:
There is no mercy without blind justice that is doled out consistently and equitably.
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How did this thread get so far without anybody defining the terms?

jus·tice [juhs-tis] –noun
1.the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause.
2.rightfulness or lawfulness, as of a claim or title; justness of ground or reason: to complain with justice.
3.the moral principle determining just conduct.
4.conformity to this principle, as manifested in conduct; just conduct, dealing, or treatment.
5.the administering of deserved punishment or reward.
6.the maintenance or administration of what is just by law, as by judicial or other proceedings: a court of justice.
7.judgment of persons or causes by judicial process: to administer justice in a community.
8.a judicial officer; a judge or magistrate.
9.(initial capital letter) Also called Justice Department. the Department of Justice.
—Idioms
10.bring to justice, to cause to come before a court for trial or to receive punishment for one's misdeeds: The murderer was brought to justice.
11.do justice,
a.to act or treat justly or fairly.
b.to appreciate properly: We must see this play again to do it justice.
c.to acquit in accordance with one's abilities or potentialities: He finally got a role in which he could do himself justice as an actor.
Use justice in a Sentence
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mer·cy [mur-see]–noun,plural-cies for 4, 5.
1.compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one's power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner.
2.the disposition to be compassionate or forbearing: an adversary wholly without mercy.
3.the discretionary power of a judge to pardon someone or to mitigate punishment, esp. to send to prison rather than invoke the death penalty.
4.an act of kindness, compassion, or favor: She has performed countless small mercies for her friends and neighbors.
5.something that gives evidence of divine favor; blessing: It was just a mercy we had our seat belts on when it happened.
—Idiom
6.at the mercy of, entirely in the power of; subject to: They were at the mercy of their captors. Also, at one's mercy.
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Mercy | Define Mercy at Dictionary.com

Where they overlap, justice has to do with somebody getting exactly what they deserve, and mercy has to do with an offender being treated more leniently/kindly than they deserve. And as such the terms are actually mutually exclusive on a per case basis. I don't really care whether people get what they deserve or not, I just want to minimize suffering. Sometimes that necessitates a harsher approach, and sometimes a more lenient approach.
 
Justice encompasses mercy, so justice is the only logical choice.
 
CaptainCourtesy said:
Justice encompasses mercy, so justice is the only logical choice.
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I really don't see how. Justice is somebody getting what they deserve, and mercy is where they get better than they deserve. What is your definition?
 
LiveUninhibited said:
I really don't see how. Justice is somebody getting what they deserve, and mercy is where they get better than they deserve. What is your definition?
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From my trusty Mac Dictionary:

Mercy: 'compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm'

An example of mercy in a legal context would be when a judge reduces a sentence because the accused has pleaded guilty and subsequently shown remorse.

Can such a thing fall within the incorporeal entity that is 'justice'? Yes. To use your own definition, (getting what one deserves), surely a criminal who is truly remorseful deserves less punishment than one who is unrepentant?
 
Yossarian said:
From my trusty Mac Dictionary:

Mercy: 'compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm'

An example of mercy in a legal context would be when a judge reduces a sentence because the accused has pleaded guilty and subsequently shown remorse.

Can such a thing fall within the incorporeal entity that is 'justice'? Yes. To use your own definition, (getting what one deserves), surely a criminal who is truly remorseful deserves less punishment than one who is unrepentant?
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Good point. Though to me it would be more a matter of a repentant person being less likely to recidivate.
 
Justice in all things. You do the crime, you do the time.
 
digsbe said:
Honestly, it would depend on the crime in situation. Justice should be given to a serial killer. Mercy should be shown to someone who accidentally killed another.
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Accidentally killing another would not be a crime. So there would be no nee to show mercy.:confused:
 
jallman said:
There is no mercy without blind justice that is doled out consistently and equitably.
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"Justice" is never blind. You cannot simply treat every crime the same. It depends on the circumstances of the crime and also of the person.

I don't know what you mean, Jall...but most people when they talk about "blind justice" or "Truth in sentencing"...they want mandatory sentences without taking anything else into consideration.

Should a first time drug seller be treated the same as someone who has 10 priors?
Should some who shoplifts food because they are hungry, be treated the same as someone who shoplifts a pair of Diesel jeans because they don't want to pay for them?
Should someone who kills in the "heat of passion" e.g., walking in on their wife with another man, be treated the same as a person who abducts a child and kills them because they are a socio-path?
 
disneydude said:
"Justice" is never blind. You cannot simply treat every crime the same. It depends on the circumstances of the crime and also of the person.
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Right, definitely, I completely agree. If you're white then they should get, what, five years less? Part of the Ku Klux Klan, then a few less years? Really, we shouldn't have the law "set in stone." God no, that would be completely unequal. We can't have Democrats and Republicans getting the same sentences; nor the rich and poor. Justice should look at the people "realistically," like what pigeonhole the judge decides to put the accused in.
 
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Both. But mercy can never conflict with true justice.
 
Justice and mercy are subjective concepts. Ask the death row inmate if justice is being served, or ask the victim's family if a commuted sentence is merciful. Decisions like these always affect more than one person, and the effects on those other people must be taken into consideration.

I prefer order. Crime and recidivism can be measured, convictions can be measured, rehabilitation can be measured, and thus the effects of policies on these rates can be measured. We can know which policies uphold order because they can be measured.
 
I still don't get the poll's question.

Am I the only one thinking it's a dumb thing to ask?
 
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