A clear distinction must be made between violence which is perpetrated by sick individuals and systemic violence, which is built into the social system. Systemic violence includes war, racism, sexism and skewed social priorities which engineer the persistence of war, poverty, malnutrition, and preventable or treatable diseases. Systemic violence should not be tolerated. Its remedy requires the fundamental restructuring of society to put human needs first. When it comes to interpersonal violence, research shows that there is no clear line between victims and perpetrators.
Some victims turn their rage against others.
Other victims turn their rage against themselves. Most do both. While everyone must be held accountable for their actions, trauma victims need support and treatment, not punishment, to end the inter-personal cycle of pain, anger and revenge. Severely damaged individuals may need to be segregated from society for everyone s protection. However protective segregation is a world away from the current state-run incarceration system which is punitive and brutalizing towards those who are least able to defend themselves.