Vengeful Punishment in White Bear

The "White Bear" episode of Black Mirror did not sit well with me. It seems to me to be a story less about a criminal and more about what society sees as a just punishment. Victoria committed a crime that in its intensity cannot be matched: kidnapping, torturing, and grossly killing a child. The only thing that could make Victoria more despicable would be if she had done this to more children. I am in no way defending these heinous actions; however, does her punishment accomplish what it should accomplish?

I argue that her punishment should a useful experience in her rehabilitation. Crafting a similar experience to kidnapping and torturing a child for Victoria is admittedly a good start. It puts her in the victim's shoes, which works for understanding the error of one's ways. That would be much less feasible in the real world, but in the confines of the story they were able to wipe her memory to provide that experience. If she was given that experience and then sent to prison (where she belongs given her actions), then she could possibly build herself back up from the criminal she was, even if prison is the end of the road for her earthly dwelling. There could still be opportunities for her to steer others away from similar criminal activity, or she could be an example for other inmates that rehabilitation is possible.

Instead, Victoria's punishment only serves as a means for coping for the loss of this child. I understand that people would want vindication given Victoria's actions, but that vindication is the driving force behind a seemingly unending theater production. It has become about gaining satisfaction and even entertainment from watching someone being justly reprimanded (which there is definitely a community for). But Victoria is not actually being reprimanded because she does not actually know that she's done anything wrong, save the hour or so at the end of every production. Her punishment does not do anything for Victoria; it exists only to feed off a strong desire for unusual and slightly cruel punishment rather than a just punishment that could save a criminal.

The fact that I can be this riled up for a blog post is a testament to Charlie Brooker's writing. If the goal of fiction is to evoke feeling and spark some difficult thought processes, Brooker nailed it. I fear a society that becomes this vengeful when they feel they have been wronged as opposed to even trying something for the sake of rehabilitation.