I find it interesting that ones like you seem to be saying there should be NO legal consequences or jailtime for these “parental forgetfulness” situations, since “they’ll pay for the rest of their lives” because their baby died.
That isn’t justice, and that doesn’t represent our sacred justice system in the United States at all. A drunk driver shouldn’t be charged with committing a crime because someone died, and they’ll feel bad enough about it for a long time? A parent neglects their child by leaving it alone at home, the house catches fire and the child dies, but there should be no punishment under the law because their child died?
That is illogical and irrational. Parents who leave children to cook in their cars are under the law MINIMALLY commmitting criminally negligent homicide, by leaving their precious babies unattended in a condition where their death is predicable and emeninent.
How should this scenario go unpunished or excused by our judicial system? Maybe someone can explain it to me (outside of emotions and the reality of a dead child). I really would like to know.
I understand. But don’t get fooled into thinking that it is “justice” when it is merely revenge. It is our anger being serviced by it, not their “guilt”.
I think we are talking about “willfulness”. The drunk driver chooses to drink, the parent who willfully leaves a child in a car chooses to do so.
These parents did not willfully do this. They did not make a decision to leave the child. They were distracted or did not communicate. There was no intent whatsoever to kill this child.
That is the difference. It is illogical and irrational to assume as so many do that they are “selfish”, “negligent”, self centered and so on.
I think a crime requires intent and choice. Surely you don’t see intent or choice here.