Should an accidental mistake be punishable?

[Ricola]

I was arrested recently for a mistake that happened.

Thankfully we have acts in place in the UK for people like myself, and realise people fuck up from time to time and not everyone is a massive criminal cunt.

So no, accident's shouldn't be.

shitty situations happen man, if you wouldnt mind, could you explain the situation?

 

[MohtasaUnique]

I'm not sure what this post is asking... Do you mean to ask whether all participants in an accidental death should be tried as murderers? Because that would result in nothing but worse over-crowding issues in prisons (for starters). Are you asking whether a punishment, any punishment, should be given to these people? There already is. Accidental death by car crash? Reckless driving. Accidental death from a fight, that fatal punch in the face you were talking about? Reckless endangerment. These already exist, and are already tailorable to the level of offense or influence one has in another's death.

 

[arontayn]

There's 2 different types of accidental.

1. Nothing of what you did was intentional or even your fault. Example: If someone runs a red light and you hit them. Nothing of that you could have prevented,

2. If your poor decisions led to the accident that happened. Example: You're drunk driving and you hit a pedestrian. You obviously didn't mean to hit them, but it would not have happened if you didn't make a poor decision and drink & drive.


1. I don't think there should be any punishment.
2. Yes, but it doesn't need to be as severe as if the act were to be intentional.

^ This is right.

 

shitty situations happen man, if you wouldnt mind, could you explain the situation?

Smashed a window when i was drunk trying to wake someone up and got arrested for criminal damage, hahahaha.

 

[ThankU123]

Short answer is No, but since society has laws and statutes, you have to be careful about what you do.

 

[SuF]

The law already has distinctions for your intentions so you will likely receive less punishment if your actions were not strictly intentioned to cause what they did cause.

 

[rebirth2316]

If there is remorse or not makes a big difference.

Whether or not the case should be punishable or not I guess depends on the circumstance.

 

[kmjt]

Depends what kind of accident. Accidentally killed someone drunk driving? Lock them up. Accidentally killed someone in a fight you had no choice other than to fight back to protect yourself? Of course it shouldn't be punishable.

 

[RSGambler]

With some of the examples people are providing. If your over the legal age and you get into a bar fight, even if your "defending" yourself with punches


If the punches are hard enough to know somebody backwards and make them fall down/break their neck of course you should be held accountable.

What would you do in that situation?

 

[Sullied]

I have always believed whatever you do to someone else should be done to you being both good or bad. Karma at its finest!

 

[SmokingOut]

Depends on what kind of accident :O.

 

[Visryx]

The law accounts for your intention. In the UK I believe if you meant to kill someone intentionally, you would be trailed for murder. If you killed someone by accident, whatever that may be, you would be trailed for manslaughter. The punishment is steep in both cases, but it is considered. Should mistakes be punishable? Of course they should, not only because of how hard it is to find the line between what was intentional and what isn't, but because if you make it that accidents are not punishable, you are rewarding ignorance.

 

[DMR]

Mistake that cause irreparable damages like death should still be given jail time and as it has been said already, that's why we have manslaughter charges. Anything that can be replaced or repaired, it should be just repaired or replaced by the person that is at fault.

Accidental death caused due to self defence is another topic that is excusable.

 

[n4n0]

Smashed a window when i was drunk trying to wake someone up and got arrested for criminal damage, hahahaha.

Lol I have a similar story....

Smashed a window in a black-out drunk fit of rage after I found out my $450 bicycle was stolen. Called the police myself to report it and didn't get charged with anything. Did have to pay back the store owner though, that cost me $800. Glass is expensive.....

$400 of that 800 went to the city though, to pay for them going out at 2am and boarding up the window....

Walked away with 10 stitches as well after all was said and done. 6 in my bicep, and 4 in my hand.

 

[SmokeHut]

Lol I have a similar story....

Smashed a window in a black-out drunk fit of rage after I found out my $450 bicycle was stolen. Called the police myself to report it and didn't get charged with anything. Did have to pay back the store owner though, that cost me $800. Glass is expensive.....

$400 of that 800 went to the city though, to pay for them going out at 2am and boarding up the window....

Walked away with 10 stitches as well after all was said and done. 6 in my bicep, and 4 in my hand.

One of my friends severed the tendons in his forearm from punching a window.. I've too broken my arm from elbowing a wall in temper.. I wish I could think straight in these blind rages haha.

 

[n4n0]

One of my friends severed the tendons in his forearm from punching a window.. I've too broken my arm from elbowing a wall in temper.. I wish I could think straight in these blind rages haha.

Yeah I don't even remember doing it. I completely blacked out. All I remember was looking down, seeing blood streaming down my arm, and wondering "where did that come from?"

 

[Hashone]

Well yea because they decided to do that in the first place no matter what it was , it was a wrong doing.

 

[yz8]

Depends on how you behaved in the past/your reputation and how much control you actually had in that situation where you made that mistake. Sometimes it's a subconscious action where we do not even have time to process what is going on but if you had at least some sort of control and it wasn't something that you almost subconsciously did then yes you should be held responsible. In the case that you didn't even realize until maybe a few hours later what you did then you should be forgiven.. especially if you try to make up for that mistake right after realizing what you did was wrong.

 

[Shadexpwn]

As long as the punishment sounds reasonable, for example seeing their emotional consideration after guilt plead occurs enables one to rationally make a decision.