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Scenario: A genius surgeon who has saved hundreds of lives murders someone to cover up a mistake they made. Should s/he be sent to prison?

Poll - Total Votes: 5
Justice is saving hundreds, thousands of lives.
Justice is protecting society from a potential murderer
Justice is punishing the wicked
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You can only vote on one answer.
What is justice in this scenario? Should s/he be put in prison for 20 to life? What is more important? Saving hundreds, thousands of lives; protecting society from a potential murderer (even though everyone is a potential murderer); or, punishing the wicked?
SW-User
Surgeons and all doctors have to take an oath to save lives.
A murder is taking a life.
There should certainly be a consequence, even if keeping in mind the hundreds of lives they saved.
Like what if, getting away with a murder is a turning point for them to cause more murders because they find a taste for it?
A good deed should not negate a bad one.
CaptainCanadia · 41-45, M
There's a separate issue there - justice is about keeping society functioning in a healthy manner.

If people who are deemed 'important' to society using whatever metric you want, these people then become above the law. What it means is that the surgeon becomes a part of a privileged class who are free to murder others because they're too important to lose.

And the rules of who gets deemed important are set by people in power. They'd certainly use that power to put themselves above the law. Rule of law has to apply to everyone for a fair, equitable, and functioning society.
Tatsumi · 31-35, M
Don't we already have such a system? If one has money, they are already pretty much above the law. Look at O.J. Simpson. Or any of the old school gangsters or drug pushers who buy off people.

So, you would choose the deaths of thousands in the protection of potentially more?
SW-User
What is more important is that murderers continue to be removed from society, and if it costs a few hundred or a few thousand lives, it's well worth that price because the alternative is much worse.
Tatsumi · 31-35, M
@crossproduct: Okay. Well, that's good. What about rape? What if the genius surgeon didn't murder anyone, but they did rape someone?
SW-User
@ColdPenguin: Sorry, surgeon goes to the slammer for that. If justice isn't applied equally, people lose respect for the rule of law.
Tatsumi · 31-35, M
@crossproduct: Okay. Fair point. But, they wouldn't have to know. 😶 And you could keep tabs on him/her, make sure they were a registered sex offender or something. Thousands of people would die.
Mia123 · 41-45, F
Potential murderer is someone who is with a mind to kill someone and is at advantage to perform it in his convenience.
The virtue of he been good to many is no excuse to save the society from that murderer.
Goralski · 51-55, M

 
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