Apparently, having only 5% of the world’s population but 25% of the world’s prisoners isn’t a high enough incarceration rate for America. As such, some states are looking for ways to imprison more of its citizens for non-violent offenses. In this case, I refer to a bill advancing in Florida’s state Senate that would make “bullying” a crime, including “cyber-bullying” online. The bill is a reaction to the tragic suicide of 12-year old Rebecca Sedwick, who took her own life after suffering harassment from her peers.
As tragic as Rebecca’s death is, who hasn’t suffered the harassment of offensive and insensitive people in their lives? No one. This is particularly bad amongst juveniles, but even in the adult world you are bound to cross paths with some raging sociopath at one point or another. Unfortunately, this is simply a fact of life and a sad reflection of our state of consciousness. It is not something that can ever be legislated away with the stroke of a pen.
The only thing this will do is further increase an already bloated and absurd domestic prison population (in 2012 police made an arrest every 2 seconds), as well as provide the context to stifle free speech. After all, defining what constitutes criminal “bullying” or “cyber-bullying” will be extraordinarily difficult and will open the doors to criminalizing all sorts of free speech. While the intention may be noble, this sounds like an absolutely horrible idea.
From Think Progress:
A Florida bill advanced in the Senate this week to make bullying a crime, including cyber-bullying online. The new offenses criminalize a range of “harassing” behavior, both in-person and on the Internet. And a second conviction would send perpetrators to jail for a year, criminalizing what is primarily a problem among youths.
The bill comes in response to concerns of escalating bullying, especially cyberbulling, and is named for 12-year-old Rebecca Sedwick, who committed suicide in September 2013, after two teen peers allegedly harassed her over her dating of a particular boy. While Rebecca’s case did not involve LGBT harassment, bullying has been a particular concern among LGBT youth.
The bill establishes that someone who “willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly harasses or cyberbullies another person commits the offense of bullying” — a misdemeanor — and that those who engage in such harassment accompanied by a threat are guilty of a third-degree felony.
A felony for bullying? Seems way overboard…
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