Victimless ‘Crime’
Can there be crimes where there are no victims?
Can society decide that certain behavior is a detriment to ’society’ and so declare it illegal?
I’m frustrated that major undercurrents of debate is occuring at the extreme end of this without any thought to this foundational issue.
- same-sex marriage
- legalizing drugs
- compulsary seatbelt use
- illegal immigration / undocumented workers
If we conclude that society doesn’t have interests apart from protecting the individuals it is composed of it seems we will discuss the above issues with a certain framework and be able to draw conclusions. If we determine that society itself has costs and requirements that we need to address, we may view the various components of these decisions far differently.
Do right and wrong extend any further than an assessment of the cost paid by individuals for tolerating or restricting individual’s behavior?
A corollary of this problem is: “Must there have been a crime whenever there are victims?”