Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Does the punishment fit the "crime"?

I'm really torn on this one. A 59-year old man in a Philadelphia suburb has been charged with involuntary manslaughter after he forgot his 14 month old grandson in his car during the early June heatwave. By the time the man remembered and went back to the car, the child was struggling to breath and ultimately, the boy died: http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20655614.html.

Police have already said that they have no doubt that this was an accident. While I am a big supporter of jailing criminals, I have to ask what this will accomplish. The man will have to go through the rest of his life with the knowledge that his actions killed his grandson. Is that not enough?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It is true, it must be hard on him. But he must receive some further punishment, if only as an example to society as a whole of the dangers of incompetence.