Who is a criminal? Is it the person who walks into a bank and robs it or the man who, with a sick wife and no money for her medicine, takes the medicine from the pharmacist’s store without payment? Technically, both are criminals, but we have to remember that there are differences in the intent and, perhaps, that needs to be taken into consideration.
In psychology, we look at morality and how it is developed, but there have been some problems in this theory of moral development and now the question has to be asked if a moral person can commit a crime. Obviously, the answer is yes.
I read about an elderly 87-year-old woman riddled with pulmonary problems and needing constant oxygen and I was, again, brought back to the plight of those in need and who step over that moral boundary.
The woman in question must have felt intense stress, anxiety and fear as she did what she knew was wrong; sold her pain medication to drug addicts. Living on $500 a month must have forced the decision that pain would be her companion for the remainder of her life. I can believe she felt if she could endure more pain, perhaps she could afford something else she needed like fuel or food or her oxygen perhaps.
One man I heard about recently had to spend $2,000 a month on one medication and he couldn’t afford it, so he just didn’t take it. How could he have taken it? A physician I know has to spend over $1,000 on one medication she needs and it is not an easy task for her. Both have autoimmune disorders that are debilitating and strain the quality of their lives. The stress of paying for these vital medications, too, adds to the intensity of the symptoms they feel and their exacerbations of their illnesses.
The sheriff in this particular case finds himself and his deputies in a very stressful situation, he admits, because now they have criminals who need doctors, daily medical care and medications. It’s job stress unlike anything he could have imagined. There’s a ripple effect here.
The medical professionals, too, are feeling increased stress because they have to give the elderly drug screens to make sure they’re taking their pain medications. Staffers have to call patients perhaps more often just to check up on them. Who would have thought that drug dealers would get such treatment? I’m not intending to be funny here, but it does seem a peculiar situation that the only way to receive more attentive help is to be thought guilty of committing a crime.
Not everyone feels the elderly involved are good people gone somewhat “bad.” One man said they were just doing what their families always did, steal. He called it a “family tradition.” So, we can malign them, jail them and mistrust them because they must be criminals. Not a happy thought.
SOURCE: WebMD
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