Humans have a misguided sense of justice when it involves long periods of time.
When a devastating act has been committed and the offender(s) is not caught within a few years, the victim(s) almost always move on. They eventually accept the situation as much as possible, reintegrating into their family and societal lives.
If the transgressor(s) is eventually discovered years later, prosecution might best be left alone. The case will bring back the old hurts, many of them having been healed. The main thing being accomplished is more pain—and for more people—as the victim(s) likely have new relationships of all kinds who will also be effected.
What might be best is to let the investigation continue in private, not to be revealed until after the perpetrators’ and victims’ deaths. The perpetrators’ legacy will then be the thing which is punished, and that’s not a trivial thing. Having someone’s permanent legacy tarnished can be a deterrent in and of itself.
At a certain point in time after the initial act the victims could be offered this arrangement. We might be surprised at how many would accept it.
When a devastating act has been committed and the offender(s) is not caught within a few years, the victim(s) almost always move on. They eventually accept the situation as much as possible, reintegrating into their family and societal lives.
If the transgressor(s) is eventually discovered years later, prosecution might best be left alone. The case will bring back the old hurts, many of them having been healed. The main thing being accomplished is more pain—and for more people—as the victim(s) likely have new relationships of all kinds who will also be effected.
What might be best is to let the investigation continue in private, not to be revealed until after the perpetrators’ and victims’ deaths. The perpetrators’ legacy will then be the thing which is punished, and that’s not a trivial thing. Having someone’s permanent legacy tarnished can be a deterrent in and of itself.
At a certain point in time after the initial act the victims could be offered this arrangement. We might be surprised at how many would accept it.
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