Justice For Whom?

Anyone in their right mind would agree that justice is a justifiable form of just punishment for anyone that is consciously aware of the crime that they have committed. Usually someone who breaks the law is sentenced and incarcerated under federal law and persecution. Included in the Bill of Rights, there is absolutely no justification for cruel and unusual punishment under any given circumstances, no matter what crime is committed. In my opinion, being incarcerated is one of the cruelest punishments anyone can face. Daily facing assaults, whether physically, verbally, or mentally, people who are incarcerated eventually begin to develop symptoms of paranoia and other mental disabilities. Many prison facilities in the United States claim that they do not have the necessary finances to properly run the prison, which leads to poor living conditions and limited medical attention. With this known fact, being incarcerated is enough to drive any normal sane person crazy.

In the episode, “White Bear” from the Black Mirror series, a woman by the name of Victoria was convicted, along with her fiancé, of murder in her role of the kidnapping, murder and torture of an innocent child. While her fiancé evaded justice by unfortunately committing suicide in jail, Victoria sadly became the brunt of the cruel and unusual punishment that lied ahead of her. No, she did not physically harm the child but she recorded the incident instead of intervening. Yes, her involvement in the child’s murder was wrong, however, you must also take into the consideration the pre-existing factors of her detrimental relationship with her fiancé. Claiming that she was “under his spell,” there could have been many factors that caused Victoria not to stand up to him and go along with his actions in fear of her own safety. Taking matters into their own hands, local citizens placed Victoria in a “justice” park where people willing paid, traveled, and participated in the ongoing torture of an “innocent” woman. “Justice” meaning the acceptable amount of torture and humiliation that could eventually cause a psychotic breakdown. “Innocent” meaning that she has no recollection of the crime she has committed due to the fact that her memory is erased on a daily basis.

The onlookers depicted in the episode were no better than Victoria during the time of the child’s murder. In comparison, today’s society many resort to their cell phone to record potentially dangerous situations instead of intervening. Who decided that this was fair punishment? What form of government would allow this kind of justice to be served?