When I read about Jeffery Epstein’s suicide*, the first thing I thought was, “Well, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.” But then I heard a reporter on television says that Epstein’s suicide robbed his victims** of justice and this got me thinking: Is it better to have a crime’s perpetrator in jail or dead? Put simply if you were a sex-trafficking victim of Epstein, if he had turned your adolescence into a nightmare for months or longer, would you prefer that he be dead or in prison?

Jeffery Epstein’s Suicide

For those of you who don’t know, Epstein is thought to have attempted suicide a few weeks ago and was put on suicide watch in prison. Suicide watch was lifted about 12 days ago and Epstein killed himself in prison two days ago, found dead in his cell on Saturday morning.

Epstein was facing life in prison for various sex crimes including sex trafficking and sexual abuse of countless victims, most underage. Epstein was already a registered sex offender due to similar charges back in 2008 wherein he pleaded guilty to soliciting a prostitute and of procuring an under-18 girl for prostitution. (You can read all about him here, should you wish to feel slimy.)

In short, this guy makes me sick. He’s some of the worst that humanity has to offer.

Would You Rather Have Epstein Die of Suicide or Go Through the Courts?

It is thought that this time around, because of his prior conviction and the evidence facing him that he would, indeed, live out the rest of his life in prison. Of course, with the court system, though, this is never a certainty. So the question is, would you rather Epstein kill himself or go through the courts?

Jeffery Epstein's suicide made few sad but does Epstein's death by suicide rob his victims of the justice they deserve? Is life in prison more just?

As a person who has been sexually abused as a minor (although the comparison of what happened to me and to holding someone as a sex slave is almost laughable — I can’t imagine what those people must have been through), I would rather have a perpetrator dead. Dead, dead, a thousand times dead.

The reason for this is very simple, death is a certainty, the courts are not. Epstein dead by suicide means there will never be another victim at his hand whereas going through the courts means you roll the dice. Yes, he might have spent the rest of his life in prison, then again, he might have found some tricky, little loophole with the very best lawyer and found a way to sneak around the charges, or lessen the sentence, or whatever. This happens in the “justice” system all the time particularly when the defendant is a rich, white guy.

But, if I were to assume his conviction was a given and his life in prison were certain, then suicide becomes less palatable. After all, he was human. Presumably, there are people who loved and cared for him. He had a mother. He was a person. That does grant him something.

Justice vs Suicide in Jeffry Epstein’s Case

I think one thing that the reporter might have been thinking of is the victims in the Epstein case getting to be on the stand and tell their stories. That would be their chance to look their abuser in the eye and say, “You did this to me.” It would be their chance to stand up and declare the truth.

And I know that for some victims of sexual abuse and violence, this can be meaningful and even helpful in healing.

On the other hand, have you ever had to face a defense attorney? These women would have had to have faced a rabid defender while they were on the stand. They would have felt like they were on trial. They would have had to have had an iron-clad story and sat there as a defense attorney tried to trip them up and poke holes in it. They would have had to relive everything. They would have had to have justified their every move and every memory. Some victims find this incredibly traumatizing.

And victims, every day, do this, without assurance as to the outcome. While I would never want to deprive a victim of something that would aid them in healing, I also would never want to insist that a victim traumatize themselves further for the sake of the concept of “justice.” After all, is justice a person in a robe telling you what you already know to be true or is justice knowing that the perpetrator can never do it to another living soul?

The Suicide of Jeffery Epstein Was the Best Outcome

So look, to me, and I could be wrong, but the best outcome of such a horrific and torturous situation seems to be Epstein’s suicide.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we should kill others guilty of Epstein’s charges. There’s a court system for a reason and punishment is meted out in other ways. I’m also not in favor of suicide in general, obviously. But in this very specific case where a daemonic human being chose to take his own life, it seems like it was the best possible outcome. To me, it really does. I believe a whole host of victims slept better Saturday night than they did Friday night.

* Yes, I realize it is an alleged suicide and I realize that people are going nuts with conspiracy theories around this event but for the sake of this article, let’s just assume Jeffery Epstein did die by suicide.

** I also realize that as he was not tried in a court of law, his crimes are alleged and he is not technically guilty. However, for the sake of this article, I’m going to assume his guilt.