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It is a basic animalistic reaction for a mother to protect her children. You see it in the wild with animals from small to big. A mother senses danger is near and she pounces on the predator before he even has a chance to come close to her young.

We accept it because they are animals and we expect them to behave in this way. The same can be said about humans. Mother and Fathers will go to extremes behaviors to protect their children. They will risk their own life in exchange for their child if necessary. Like animals, they will strike back if someone harms their children as well. However, the consequences for our revenge can be far more  complex and life changing than a simple rumble in the jungle.

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An example of this can be found in Laquita Calhoun. The Chicago mother of an infant daughter killed a neighbor who she discovered raped her infant daughter. Calhoun told police she killed Alonzo Jones because he admitted to raping her infant daughter. After hearing his confession, Calhoun, her sister and a group of others attacked Jones for hours, kicking him, slashing him with bottles. They also ran him over with a car.

The judge later sentenced her to life in 67 years in prison. ” An appeals court is saying this is a special circumstance, this is a situation that is taken out of the norm because she was so aggravated and she is unlikely to repeat offend. The instigation for the offense was the child. The district attorney will try to appeal to the highest court in Chicago.”

As much as I would like to say that a parent should be able to exact revenge on the attackers of her child, the truth is that having such an open policy could lead to chaos. Giving everyone the right to discern their own actions of revenge and to not have to face any consequences is dangerous. In a perfect world I would say that Calhoun should not have to face any criminal charges due to the extreme circumstances she was under. In her case, she might deserve a second chance. But when do the second chances end? When do we draw the line and what factors do we use to decide who deserves a second chance and who does not? How do we decide what acts of  revenge are acceptable versus the ones that are not? What precedent are we setting?

For that reason, I think that Calhoun should either have to serve some time in a mental hospital if not prison. True she was a Mother that was under an intensely stressful situation. However, I do not think that she should not ever have to serve any time in a facility at all. Another way to look at the situation is how did the neighbor have access to the infant long enough to rape it? Where was Calhoun? I’m not blaming her for his actions but considering the issue that parents often are too trustworthy with the people they leave their children in the company of.

Does she deserve a second chance?

Via: The Grio

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