Late last month, a four-year-old girl was beheaded by a 33-year-old man in front of her mother. The man, apparently suffering from hallucinations, attacked her after prowling the streets with a knife for some time. Though this has not been the first case of a random killing in Taiwan, it has been the most shocking in a long time.
Killers of this kind tend not to hide. It took the police little time to aprehend the suspect, Wang Ching-yu (王景玉). Following his arrest, Wang was thrashed by a crowd waiting outside the police station where he was detained. While in detention center, he has allegedly been beaten by other inmates.
While public outrage over the killing is understandable, that police would leave a suspect to be punished without a trial suggests dereliction of duty, as well as a lack of professionalism.
It is disgraceful that a handcuffed suspect in custody would be treated like a medieval criminal and be publicly shamed. Those who attacked him have no regard for the law — do they not believe the law can bring justice? Or are they such cowards that they can only attack a person already tied up and under arrest?
Prosecutors and the police should address the lynching attempt to ensure that violence disguised as justice never happens again.
However, the real challenge lies in the investigation and research of random killings as they become more frequent in Taiwan.
Punishment is one of the aspects of crime prevention. It is only when people confront all the aspects of random killings and engage in the difficult task of reforming schools, the society, healthcare, the law and the culture, that they can prevent such attacks.
It was alleged that Wang has a history of mental illness and drug abuse. While only a small percentage of mental patients are violent, many could become dangerous if they use drugs or alcohol.
Random killers tend to be long-term victims of bullying. They spend most of their time at home, without a job and estranged from people. Oftentimes, they are on drugs and have displayed violence before. They are usually alone when they commit crimes, targeting women and children. Wang’s profile matches that of a typical random killer.
Addiction has numerous forms, be it drug addiction or smartphone use. What constitutes an addiction has been defined many times. While many say that severe punishment helps decrease drug abuse, research shows no direct link between the two.
An experiment conducted by Vancouver-based psychologist Bruce Alexander showed that a mouse kept in isolation became addicted water laced with heroine, while mice in a cage with plenty of cheese, colored balls and little tunnels, with opportunities to socialize and have sex almost never drank the drugged water, and none of the mice died of an overdose.
Does the same hold true for people? During the Vietnam War, 20 percent of US soldiers reportedly used heroin, but 95 percent quit the drug upon returning to the US without an addiction or the need for rehabilitation.
A new theory is that a happy and healthy person tends to maintain social ties with others, whereas a person who is isolated, overwhelmed with stress, or suffering from emotional trauma is more likely to turn to pornography and abuse alcohol and drugs, or indulge in smoking, gambling or shopping.
Fifteen years ago, when Portugal had the highest number of drug addicts in Europe, 1 percent of the nation’s population was on heroin. Later, following advice from experts, the Portuguese government put the money originally planned for cracking down on drugs and building prisons toward helping former addicts rejoin the society, specifically by providing former addicts with job opportunities and offering small loans for those starting a business. Former addicts were given jobs within employment programs and the government paid half of their salaries.
Since the implementation of the experimental policy in Portugal, drug use of every type has declined significantly, including the use of injectable drugs, which has dropped by 50 percent. The rate of HIV infection among drug addicts has also decreased.
Despite the sensationalism of media coverage, the paents of the slain four-year-old have demonstrated courage and reason in a way few could match. They deserve to be treated with respect. In civilized nations, in response to a serious crime, police would organize a news conference to solicit help from the public in a way that is respectful, comforting and meets the needs of the people involved.This is something Taiwanese police need to learn.
Chiang Sheng is an attending physician in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mackay Memorial Hospital.
Translated by Yu-an Tu
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