[Junior]

Justice is not making an innocent pay for the crimes of the guilty, no matter how badly that innocent wants to pay. Justice is making the guilty pay for their crimes themselves. I mean, think about it. Should Charles Manson walk free because one of his groupies wants to be punished in his stead?

Unless you have some really strange definition of justice we haven't heard about?

[BMCDA]

Actually the whole matter is a bit more complex.

For instance if someone owes me $1000 but can't pay me the money I don't mind if someone else is willing to pay in his stead.

On the other hand if someone runs over my dog and kills it I might get some satisfaction punching that guy in his face but this is clearly not the case if someone else wants to accept the beating in his place. I mean that other guy hasn't done anything to me so using his face as a punching bag doesn't give me anything.

And that's what I meant when I said that suffering doesn't have any transactional value (except of course you're a sadist and simply enjoy the suffering of people or animals).

[Elsie]

Justice is not making an innocent pay for the crimes of the guilty, no matter how badly that innocent wants to pay.

Again; I agree, but MERCY is what I want applied to me!