Hypothetical Island

[sgtmac_46]

This is a bit of a thought experiment, so bear with me.

You are marooned on an island, with a couple of dozen or so people, some you know, some you don't. There is no hope of rescue, so you set about the task of building a life on this island.

You set up an informal government, with a voting body, and you assign jobs necessary for the survival, safety and comfort of the group.

Within a few days of arriving, however, two men find a third man having raped and killed one of the women, near camp. After a struggle, the two men subdue the man, but too late to save the woman.

The man is brought before the group. The evidence is overwhelming that he is guilty, and he does nothing to deny this fact. Moreover, he demands that he be freed, as the group has no authority over him. He even threatens that if he is not freed, he will kill anyone that attempts to keep him.

It is clear that he is determined to do as he will, and he has already killed one person.

A trial is convened, and he is determined to be guilty. The decision now rest in the hands of the group what is to be done with this individual. Your decision weighs heavily, as you have taken on an informal leadership role in the group.

What is your suggestion for how to deal with this situation?

 

[FearlessFreep]

Kill him

 

[Cujo]

If there is no way to ensure the safety of the rest of the people, then he must be executed. The saftey of the remaining group outweighs his basic right to live.

Pax
Cujo

 

[sgtmac_46]

So we have two votes for death. Any other opinions?

 

[BlackCatBonz]

what type of death?
hanging
drowning
burning
exsanguination......

 

[sgtmac_46]

what type of death?
hanging
drowning
burning
exsanguination......

It's your island, you tell me.

 

[Makalakumu]

Depending on the resources of the island, I would exile the man on the pain of death. He would be given one to two days to build a raft and leave the island. After the alotted time is up, he would be driven into the sea regardless of the state of his raft.

 

[Martial Tucker]

Depending on the resources of the island, I would exile the man on the pain of death. He would be given one to two days to build a raft and leave the island. After the alotted time is up, he would be driven into the sea regardless of the state of his raft.

A guy like that is not going anywhere voluntarily. Your only options are to build him a cage and then be stuck taking care of him, or kill him. You certainly don't let him run free while you try to figure out why he did what he did......


Interesting question, Sarge.....I think I know where you're going with this.

 

[ginshun]

eye for an eye.

 

[arnisador]

The man has chosen his own system of government, which is: Whosoever can impose his or her will on others may rightfully do so. Hence, by either the non-violent members' self-chosen government system or by his own logic, he can be executed.

If it were feasible to "jail" him until proper authorities could take custody of him following a hoped-for rescue, or if the group was small enough that his labor (or other special skill) was needed, then captivity would probably be the wisest choice. (If rescued, how would the legal system view the group's having enacted such a punishment? Does it fall under the same necessity defense as "the custom of the sea" does?) Otherwise--and especially if the group is large enough that one reasons there must be another 'bad egg' out there--making an example of someone may, unfortunately, be the best decision. I would be reluctant to order an execution (or lead the discussion toward that conclusion), but it's easy to imagine jail not being feasible and banishment being either infeasible or ineffective (i.e., he might return and wreak further havoc). In fact, banishment is really too soft a punishment for murder, unless the situation is such that banishment would lead to near-certain death. In such a case, and with an eye out to further possible infractions by others, the "everyone can be a good bad example" logic is hard to resist.

So, my vote would be captivity if feasible or necessitated, and death otherwise. I might have some sympathy for the fact that panic, despair, or the like may have led someone to commit a crime he would have been less likely to commit in society, but what other rational choice is there? (If it was clear that he was not despondent but rather that he was glad for an opportunity to live outside society's laws and be able to act out on this impulse, I'd have rather less sympathy for him. Then, execution is obvious.) So, a death as quick and painless as possible may be the best option.

To reject the group's ability to form a society and laws seems irrational. What did the settlers in the Americas do, after all?

 

[BlackCatBonz]

i dont know if i would make it so quick and painless.
i might make him suffer a bit.........like binding him to a tree, and then seeing how he goes.......animals, or dehydration.

 

[Blotan Hunka]

Has SgtMac been banned?

 

[modarnis]

Difficult scenario. Not enough resources to jail him. He likely won't get pushed off on a raft without a major fight (where someone could likely get hurt or killed) Seems like in this very small society, killing him is the only reasonable option

 

[Flatlander]

Has SgtMac been banned?

No. Please direct any further questions to a SuperMod or Admin Staff by PM. Thank you.

 

[Sam]

if you cage him some how it would then be the group's responsibility to care for him. Assuming they are on an island with nothing to begin with, resources will be hard to come by.

He already killed someone himself.

Execute him, hang him.

 

[KenpoTess]

Bind him.. and Bury him up to his head in the sand... leave a bit of food and water within reach... and go about your business..

 

[Cryozombie]

Well, as my island would be an "Armed Society" ... the chances of him pulling that off without being killed in the process are slim, and Im sure knowing that his intended Victim was armed and ready would theoretically make him think twice about doing it anyhow. And if he DID do it, and then tried again, what are the chances he would survive a second attempt?

Things like that have a way of working themselves out if the "people" don't interfere...

 

[Makalakumu]

Difficult scenario. Not enough resources to jail him. He likely won't get pushed off on a raft without a major fight (where someone could likely get hurt or killed) Seems like in this very small society, killing him is the only reasonable option

It is possible that if one attempts an execution that he would fight back and he could hurt or kill some of his executioners. If he won't build a raft or he won't swim away, the assumption can be made that he is attempting to reenter the island. I would then order my people to drown him...and he could escape by swimming away or he would die.

 

[DavidCC]

If possible you should exile him, depending on the conditions of the island. You would have to know that he could not return to hurt more people. Like maybe you could build a raft and take him to the neighboring island across a channel of shark infested waters and then you could be sure he would not return. Assuming there was a nearby isalnd and you could build a raft and that there were lots of sharks in between haha but its hypothetical and so those are the conditions I choose for my answer

Short of something like that, it might be feasible to keep him down in a big hole and throw food and water down there everyday. That's pretty low-maintenance.

Failing that too, for whatever reason, as a last resort, make a rope out of vines and string him up. It's a time honored method and nobody has to get their hands too dirty with killing him. When rescued, "oh he died in the crash"

 

[Blotan Hunka]

It is possible that if one attempts an execution that he would fight back and he could hurt or kill some of his executioners. If he won't build a raft or he won't swim away, the assumption can be made that he is attempting to reenter the island. I would then order my people to drown him...and he could escape by swimming away or he would die.

Since the hypothetical situation here states that he has been captured and brought before justice Im assuming that hes been bound/or brought under control. How is forcing the guy into exile any mor "safe" than execution?