Quick Logic Question...

[FlyingRoof]

Has anyone ever considered that rape should be only punished as if it were any other assault. I have been thinking this over for a while now. I don't really have any good arguments for or against it but I figured, if it was punished more severely merely due to the sexual nature of the crime that that would not be a logical reason for the increase punishment. If anyone can give arguments for it or against it that would be nice so I can make up my mind on this.

As of now I think they should be equal punishments

[JakeHero]

Emotion emotional scars left by rape are severely damaging. Something the woman(or man when it comes to Africa in some cases) will probably never recover from the rest of their lives.

[IllustriousPotentate]

Rape can be considered more severe a crime than assault for several reasons.

First, just touching someone in their genitals without out their permission can be charged as a crime. Less so if you just touch someone in the face, arm, etc. People want their privates to be, well, private.
Second, rape has several detrimental effects that an assault doesn't. It can cause unwanted pregnancy, deadly STD's such as AIDS, and if injury to the area is significant, sterilization.
Third, assault is often provoked, whereas rape is usually less so, and in cases where it is provoked, is not by the fault of the victim. Juries will have more sympathy with someone who beat the snot out of some guy making smart remarks about him than with someone who rapes someone because they thought the victim was attractive.

[cellardoor6]

Hmmm that's an interesting point. I've never thought of it that way. I guess that in one way of thinking about it, rape really is just basically assault. The sexual aspect of it is kind of an intangible concept that makes it worse in people's minds.

However, you have to consider it from the victim's perspective. Assault in itself is usually just a small physical attack. Like a punch in the face, it's just quick, spur of the moment, then it's over. Rape is worse, it's a methodical, drawn out, deliberate assault similar to torture.

Rape is kind of like a temporary kidnapping of sorts, because you're not just assaulting them you're doing it against their will, preventing them from escaping. And rape tends to leave emotional scars which are much harder to recover from than just a physical wound. So the harsher punishment is due to a whole slew of factors. The affect on the victim emotionally is probably the biggest one.

Someone is going to be more emotionally damaged if they're raped than just assaulted, therefore it is a harsher crime, with a harsher sentence.

[bcdemon]

If sex wasn't so sacred, then rape would be just a punch in the face. But we are taught that sex is a special moment between two people. Rape effects the mind more so than the body, which deserves a harsher punishment, IMO.

Rape is more of a theft of the mind than an assault on the body.

[dodo-man-1]

At 6/19/07 09:19 AM, bcdemon wrote: If sex wasn't so sacred, then rape would be just a punch in the face. But we are taught that sex is a special moment between two people.

It is. Or at least, it should be.

(I really want to find out soon...)

[ForkRobotik]

At 6/19/07 06:43 AM, IllustriousPotentate wrote: First, just touching someone in their genitals without out their permission can be charged as a crime. Less so if you just touch someone in the face, arm, etc. People want their privates to be, well, private.

Really? I always thought someone touching my genitals without my explicit permission was a turn on...unless it's a man, in which case i'm the one doing the touching! mwaahahah!!! Also, i only wear leather chaps, my private parts are wholly public!

[Tancrisism]

The psychological impact of rape is enormous and entirely crippling, much more so than the average physical attack, as has been stated before.

Personally, I'd say rape is in some ways worse than murder.

[SlithVampir]

At 6/20/07 07:24 PM, Tancrisism wrote:

Personally, I'd say rape is in some ways worse than murder.

Murdrer kills, rape tortures

[Tancrisism]

At 6/20/07 08:05 PM, SlithVampir wrote:

At 6/20/07 07:24 PM, Tancrisism wrote:

Personally, I'd say rape is in some ways worse than murder.

Murdrer kills, rape tortures

Rape can make life worse than death though.

[Memorize]

At 6/20/07 08:45 PM, Tancrisism wrote:

Rape can make life worse than death though.

Not provable.

[HighlyIllogical]

At 6/20/07 08:49 PM, Memorize wrote:

At 6/20/07 08:45 PM, Tancrisism wrote:

Rape can make life worse than death though.

Not provable.

Not in a quantifiable way, perhaps (even then, if you look at earnings of rape victims prior to and after their rape, you could analyze this), but it's a widely accepted conclusion among mental health professionals that rape is emotionally damaging.

Duh.

[CrazyCory564]

At 6/19/07 04:29 AM, FlyingRoof wrote: Has anyone ever considered that rape should be only punished as if it were any other assault. I have been thinking this over for a while now. I don't really have any good arguments for or against it but I figured, if it was punished more severely merely due to the sexual nature of the crime that that would not be a logical reason for the increase punishment. If anyone can give arguments for it or against it that would be nice so I can make up my mind on this.

As of now I think they should be equal punishments

Imagine a little 12 year old virgin getting raped by a 30 year old man who sexually assaults her. Shes emotionally scarred for life. Don't you think it should be more punishable then someone just getting mugged somewhere?