A Reckoning

Like many of you, I've been only partially aware of the ongoing criminal allegations against Larry Nasser, a sports doctor accused of raping/molesting scores of young athletes.  The complete timeline, as best we can tell, is under the link.  At any rate, he is accused of molesting scores of young women over the course of several decades.

I normally don't comment on these cases while they're being litigated.The accused does have a presumption of innocence.    But, like the coward he is, he recently plead guilty to three (3) counts, so his presumption of innocence has dissolved.  At sentencing, the court was compelled to listen to victim impact statements.  One day, the father of three victims, asked for five minutes alone with the offender.  The court, of course, denied that request, and the Dad lunged at the offender and was restrained by deputies.



Dramatic, and it plays out just as you'd expect.  The Dad doesn't get to the offender and is restrained and removed from the courtroom.  Yet, Dad's plight is understandable.

Later, the judge issues a statement.  She understands that Dad's plight is normal and natural.



The judge can't condone violence against the offender.  We get it.   And there is the tragedy.  Justice is the province of the state, and the victim often gets left behind.  Just because an offender is going to be sentenced to many, many years in prison doesn't help the victims heal.  In many cases, there is an empty, unrequited rage left for the victim to deal with.

For the law, you see, is about the state.  The state reserves justice to itself, for its own purposes.  Vengeance, if you read the Bible, is reserved to God.  So, the victim gets neither justice (which is reserved to the State), or vengeance (which is reserved to God).

Dad was seeking a reckoning.  If the justice system was truly concerned about justice, it would allow for a reckoning in some cases. It might be cathartic to the victim and would not diminish justice in any way.  In the long run, it might save the State a great deal of money.