The Marquis
Moderator
While I don't disagree with the sentiment as a whole, I do disagree in a way:
The punishment for sexual assault (rape being an extreme case of such) shouldn't be a monetary one.
If we were to associate criminal punishment (or even civil punishment) with monetary values, then we would indeed create a culture where the rich feel, and essentially act, above the law.
The punishment for these types of cases should be that after conviction, the defendant is named and forever associated with having committed the crime.
Settling a case out of court, whether it be the defendant paying, or anyone else, doesn't do enough justice.
In my opinion, at least.
Is it a punishment, sure. Is it appropriate for the severity, no. Not in my mind at least.
Sure, there is the criminal route where the punishment is potential jail time, but the threshold for criminal conviction is much higher than in a civil suit, so in cases of sexual assault, the likelyhood of getting a conviction are much smaller than the same trial in a civil suit.
I don't disagree with anything you said. Nothing. I just wanted to point out the punishment dynamic. Ultimately out of court settlements are a joke in my mind as they give a leg up to the wealthy, which is wholly inequitable.