Evaluating Criminal Actions as Being Evil as well as Unjust
Evaluating Criminals' Actions as Being Evil as well as unjust
Does being a criminal necessarily mean a person is “evil”? This is an interesting question, in which there are many different opinions. This is not a straight yes or no answer. To have a debate on an issue like this we should first define the word “evil”. The dictionary defines “evil” as being: Morally reprehensible, sinful, wicked (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary).
People who say that a criminal isn’t necessarily evil might be thinking like this: If a poor person went into a store and stole food for his family that was starving on the streets, and got caught, he would be considered a criminal. But, not many people would consider this person to be evil. After all, he was just trying to help his family survive by any means necessary. Other examples of things that would make a person a criminal are such things as swimming in a “no swimming area”, or not paying taxes or doing drugs. Most of these people would never be considered to be evil. On the other hand, is someone who kills another person considered evil? The person who said that a criminal is not always evil, might say that a murderer is always evil. The other side of this argument is the opinion that all criminals are evil. If I happened to go up to someone and ask them if all criminals are evil, and the person answered yes, I would then have to ask the person what he/she considers a criminal to be. This persons mind most likely will automatically think along the lines of murderer, rapist, etc. So, I don’t think that there is much of an argument to the question: Does being a criminal necessarily mean a person is evil? I do think, however, that there is definitely a debate as to whether or not a murderer is always evil, and whether or not murder is always wrong.
I do not believe that all murderers are evil. If a woman had been getting beaten and battered by her husband, and one day just couldn’t take it anymore, and killed her husband, I wouldn’t consider her to be evil. Does that make the fact that she killed her husband right? No, of course not. But, I don’t think that she is an evil person. In the book that we just completed “In Cold...