Would you turn a friend in?
If you found out a someone was doing something illegal, would you turn them into the authorities? What if it were a friend, or perhaps a family member/love ones?
Would it depend on what they were doing wrong?
In a word, no. I wouldn't turn them in. Now, I know this sounds terrible, but I don't believe it is my job to solve the crime and report it to the police. I wouldn't lie to the police if I were questioned, but I certainly wouldn't volunteer anything either.
I guess to me it depends. If they are getting into a position where they are going to hurt themself or others significantly I would encourage them to get help. It is true that probably on some level anything illegal done has the possibility of causing someone harm. I suggest you address it with the person committing the illegal act first. I'd confront them and see if there's a deeper problem that's causing these illegal acts, and I'd encourage them to get help.
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I wouldn't lie to the police if I were questioned, but I certainly wouldn't volunteer anything either. |
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But in some countries, including the US, you can go to jail for holding important information. Are you willing to take that risk?. |
In a free country I believe we have a responsibility to uphold laws which are lawful but also to encourage friends to desist from breaking such laws before going to the extreme of reporting.
Countries that are not free usually promote a culture of everyone spying on each other and being informants for the government. Here, it is considered wrong to do anything against the government at all, legal or illegal, lawful or unlawful.
Let's not be communists, but let's also be respectful of just laws.
We should remember that government is our servant, not our master. It has less powers than the individual though it may usurp an pretend it has more.
Dubhdara.
p.s. Some definitions:
illegal: that which violates man-made laws. Governments are usually the biggest violator of their own laws.
unlawful: that which violates natural law, or that law upon which just man-made laws should be based. Governments are notorious for violating these!
In my misunderstood culture its always good to direct your friend to the right path I think if my friend was involved in serous crime such as robbery,murder I would tell on him, anyway if my so called friend does something serious I would tell on him and I wont even be friends with him because he will get you involved if your not careful, and hell with him if he is such a nasty person why would I be his friend anyway, how ever I wouldn't tell on him for like breaking a cars window or getting into a fight.