# You're guilty of a homicide but likely to get off. Morally, should you take your medicine anyway? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 18, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009 "2014-03-18T16:42:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009/61 "2014-03-28T02:48:52Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Nope, I don’t see why they’d have to be. So if those authorities are some dishonest thugs who just want to stab you with a rusty knife for your sins, you have to submit to them? I don’t actually see a whole lot of difference between some psychotic thugs and a prison system that will lock people in cages and let them get raped and shivved. The difference is, the thugs will just torture you and kill you. A prison system will patch you up after you get shivved, maybe stick you in solitary confinement for your “protection”, and you’ll linger for years. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009/62 "2014-03-28T02:52:32Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > There is no moral obligation to plead guilty. Sure there is. Just not a legal one. “Moral obligation” means “the right thing to do”. We have “laws” to try and reduce the subjectiveness of “morality” Then again, if I cared about my “moral obligation” I wouldn’t be going around murdering people (sorry…second degree manslaughtering people). ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009/63 "2014-03-28T05:17:02Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Sure there is. Just not a legal one. “Moral obligation” means “the right thing to do”. > > We have “laws” to try and reduce the subjectiveness of “morality” > Then again, if I cared about my “moral obligation” I wouldn’t be going around murdering people (sorry…second degree manslaughtering people). There is not a moral obligation to put yourself in grave jeopardy, in the hands of someone who is immoral. Do you realize what the consequences would likely be if you were to be imprisoned for a form of murder? ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009/64 "2014-03-28T07:29:04Z")
If I got in a drunken brawl and killed the other guy, I might feel remorse. In the OP’s scenario - I’d go hunting for the bastard and take pleasure in bashing in his skull. I’d also arrange a credible alibi, and not trust a screw-up by the prosecution to keep me out of prison. Hell, in Texas or Florida, I could probably argue justifiable homicide (just kidding (more or less)). ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2014, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009/65 "2014-03-28T07:31:18Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > There is not a moral obligation to put yourself in grave jeopardy, in the hands of someone who is immoral. Do you realize what the consequences would likely be if you were to be imprisoned for a form of murder? In the case of the OP, you’d probably be given some respect - esp. if you used your bare hands against a person much larger than yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Dancer\_Flight](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dancer_flight/32/7601_2.png) [@Dancer\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dancer_Flight)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2014, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009/66 "2014-03-29T05:44:34Z")
Eh, the “victim” had it coming, and if the State can’t make its case, I ain’t gonna lose sleep over it. (i.e. it was a justifiable homicide) -DF ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009/67 "2014-03-31T10:00:55Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > So if those authorities are some dishonest thugs who just want to stab you with a rusty knife for your sins, you have to submit to them? You realise there’s a vast middle between “psychotic thugs” and “Morally above reproach” that you just excluded, there, right? You are aware of that fallacy, yes? ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009/68 "2014-03-31T16:31:32Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > You realise there’s a vast middle between “psychotic thugs” and “Morally above reproach” that you just excluded, there, right? You are aware of that fallacy, yes? Yes, but in the case of the U.S. prison system, most educated observers would say it is much closer on the spectrum to “psychotic thugs” than to being morally above reproach. Hence, my argument is correct. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009/69 "2014-04-01T11:40:56Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > Yes, but in the case of the U.S. prison system, most educated observers would say it is much closer on the spectrum to “psychotic thugs” than to being morally above reproach. I think you maybe need to learn a little bit about other prison systems where they really are psychotic thugs, or close. Hell, we’ve got US prison officials right here on the Dope, do you think they’re psychotic thugs? Plus, not everyone is American. I’d be quite happy to have the Norwegians try me for murder, for instance. > [@](#): > > Hence, my argument is correct. No, it really isn’t. There’s a continuum of morality of authority, and I’m quite willing to allow myself to be arraigned by some systems and not others, without it being an all or nothing thing. ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2014, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009/70 "2014-04-01T12:28:13Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I think you maybe need to learn a little bit about other prison systems where they really are psychotic thugs, or close. Hell, we’ve got US prison officials right here on the Dope, do you think they’re psychotic thugs? I think the results of their actions are indistinguishable from those taken by said thugs. Now, it is true that individual officials and officers in the system have no authority to change anything. The actual problem is that reform is impossible, because being “pro-prisoner” or “pro-criminal” is not a position anyone take politically. So we end up with one of the most brutal systems in the world, with a larger percentage of the population imprisoned than in any other country. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-guilty-of-a-homicide-but-likely-to-get-off-morally-should-you-take-your-medicine-anyway/684009.md?page=3)