Poll: For what crime(s) would you turn in a loved one?

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unabomber#Search

The Unabomber was finally caught when David Kaczynski became convinced that his own brother was the long-sought anonymous killer, and provided crucial information to the FBI. If a loved one of yours kept committing crimes and just wouldn’t stop, despite your most earnest attempts to persuade him or her, for what offense(s) would you finally go to the cops?

Explain your answers as you see fit. If your answers would be different depending upon the circumstances or definition of any of the crimes mentioned, please explain.

Please also say what country you’re from.

Disappearing poll from the pre-Discourse era
#2

No one has the right to directly hurt people, even people I love, material goods are a gray area. US

#3

Just for clarification, what kind of reward are we talking about here?

#4

Heh. The quiet satisfaction of (maybe) having done the right thing.

#5

This. Canada

#6

That doesn’t feed the bulldog. My wife would have to commit murder or some other major badness against a specific human being for me to turn her in. Since everybody else in my life barely registers a “like,” they are toast. I’d narc on them in a heartbeat (and a nickel.)

#7

or even a Sackie? :wink:

#8

I voted. I’m from the U.S. The more serious the crime and the greater the risk of physical harm to others, the more likely I’d be to turn in a lawbreaking loved one.

I’m a little surprised that espionage and treason are getting, at least at the moment, relatively few votes.

#9

A friend will help you move. A real friend will help you move a body.

#10

Rape, kidnapping, domestic violence, and serial murder. I checked murder, too, but now that I think about it, it would depend on who they murdered. If they found out someone was molesting their child and went out and beat them to death with a bat, I’d probably keep my mouth shut.

#11

I’m from the US. I included: domestic violence (all types), rape (all types), major assault, murder & serial murder. There’s probably some grey area in either direction though that would depend heavily on the context. There might be some other crimes I’d turn them in for and some of the listed crimes I might not turn them in for if I felt that there were some exceptional circumstances.

#12

Snitches get stitches. Just sayin.

#13

Answer: Answer: Rape and murder

#14

If they’re willing to hurt innocent people, I don’t love them.

#15

Child molestation, child abuse, domestic violence, rape, and drunk driving.

Everything else I take on a case by case basis, otherwise 99% of my family would be in jail.

#16

Agreed. Maybe it’s because the harm they cause to innocents is far less direct and obvious. I thought for far less time about turning my mother in for espionage than I did about turning her in for murder. But I’ll admit that my national security-related career might make me extra sensitive to that.

#17

It’s never happened so don’t know for sure but I’m pretty sure it would be for any felony.

#18

USA

Violent crimes mostly, HOWEVER my mitigating factor would be “are they going to continue committing that (or another) crime or was it an isolated, extremely-out-of-character incident?”

For example if my brother catches his wife fucking the mailman and in a spontaneous fit of rage beats them to death with a boot, I’d say it’s highly unlikely he’s going to become a serial killer and go on an extended killing spree. I’d most likely keep my mouth shut on that one, not to mention he’d probably be caught immediately and there’s a high probability he’d get off anyway in those circumstances.

OTOH if he was murdering prostitutes and making hooker skin lampshades in his garage, I feel I’d have a moral obligation to drop that dime.

#19

No joke.

I am guessing that if this were a conservative board, those would be much higher.

#20

Well, what does espionage mean, exactly? I took it to mean “spying for our government”, in which case, who the heck am I going to turn him into anyway? Plus I know on some level spies are necessary.

I did click treason though, along with all kinds of rapes, serial murder, all kinds of DV, major assault, and kidnapping (I can’t remember what else). Gray areas in some of them.