Mandated Reporting of Child Abuse Suspects - Fierce Debate

In the wake of the Penn State child abuse scandal some states are looking to mandate reporting of suspects. Should you go to jail if you don't report a possible suspect in the general public (your neighbor for example)? Ana Kasparian, Cenk Uygur, Jayar Jackson and former prosecutor Steve Oh debate on The Young Turks.

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/21/143841832/calls-for-more-reporting-of-suspected...

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• penn state scandal
• mandated reporter law
• penn state mandated reporter
• child abuse
• child molester
• jerry sandusky
• young turks

[EskiltheWanderer]

This law will bring us right back to Communist USSR's culture of distrust and fear of our neighbours.

[slev09]

Child abuse is a serious thing, but it should not be up to the government to mandate good behavior. It takes away free will. It is not right to punish people who fail to act or are unsure to act. Without free will, we are in danger of drifting towards Autocracy

Jayar is annoying too because he is the stereotypical liberal that the conservatives love to bash. The person who tries to legislate though emotion. "how would you feel if it was your kid". You pass laws through logic, not emotion.

[darkwindow31]

Taxes, who cares? I do! Bunch of dumb fucks rather than young Turks. I can fix all those issues. Give me one child molester & give me a tax evader. Just give me one criminal. Ill make a perfect example out of him/her that I bet anyone you will never see a crime from that person or any other criminals.

[PressXtonotdie]

They missed one big problem; cops love to charge people without reason. If I find out my neighbour had a kid in his basement and was using him as a sex toy but I didn't know, I could still be charged because "Oh well you should have noticed" And even if I don't get prosecuted that's going to destroy my life. It'll lead to a society of people staring over each others fences with notepads and video cameras trying to cover their ass. "oh fuck, Toms not filled his new barbeque in his taxes! POLICE!"

[nawstra578]

cenk is rite hed fucking explode the world if he got pissed but once he calmed down he would be like ok dude rite u sucks for not hlping my daughter but im not gonna report u cause its not ur duty u aint no cop u aint no doc working so i hate u but its cool

[ledastray4u]

this is how people get gangstalked, how can we break our own laws by charging someone guilty without evidence, there for being comunity harrassed due to the perception of personal opinion. gangstalkers are terrorists police who spy and stalk inocent citizines are terrorists.

[slev09]

@CmdrTobs what did I strawman...at all...

I don't even know what you are getting at with the illegal downloads part.  However, mandatory reporting is not necessary to not have an insane legal system, in fact prosecuting people because they may have known about a crime but didn't do anything creates a pretty insane legal system.

[RubberDuckiesUnite21]

Wow, what occupation was Steve in prior to his current employment? A prosecutor... For what, like what area was his specialty? Can you even have a specialty in prosecuting? I just want to know because I really admired his approach to/in this argument. I'm in grade 10, however I really like american politics and law. Unfortunately all of my law and american studies are in grade 11 so I'm not entirely versed in the subject(s) as of yet-especially the in the minute details. TY! :)

[NeroJoe83]

@EskiltheWanderer

... or America's McCarthy years.

[CmdrTobs]

@slev09 strawman.

You need some obligation to report crimes to eliminate co-conspiracy. The hard debate is how far to take this. Ofc it's not reasonable for a pedophiles 5 friends to watch molesting through a window and use freedom to not report at a defense.... but what about a father who finds illegal download on his sons PC....? so it bounds of reason.

So mandatory reporting is necessary to evoke joint enterprise and not have insane legal system.

[SnakeSkin950]

@ridewave444 um, what OTHER means? I'd rather have a few people in jail (albeit temporarily at most) than have one child dead.