Reason First: The Power of Snitching

To snitch or not to snitch, that is the eternal question which burns in the minds of the guilty and not guilty. Let us define our terms. A snitch is someone who actively points out figures who were involved in or who are committing crime. A snitch is an upright citizen who cares about the sanctity of human life. Royal “Diamond” Downs’ role in The James T. Vaughn Correctional Center riots in 2017 in New Castle County, Delaware goes to show that a despicable person should serve his time and not be given any provisions beyond what it takes for him to breathe.

A person in a neighborhood who witnesses a crime and reports it is a snitch and a model individual. Downs is someone who just wanted to avoid another life sentence. That’s right. He received hundreds of years behind bars for a murder in the early 1990s. For him to tell on his cronies shows that he can at least cooperate with the law when the right deal happens to be on the table.

For him to become an assistant to law enforcement in a case where one correctional officer, Sgt. Steve Floyd, died in the riot demonstrates that the judicial system ought to be interested in finding out the truth. His status as a snitch is really too good for him. He is guilty. So, to see him pointing his finger in the direction of comrades upsets the balance of prisoner relations. Everyone will know that he is a “snitch.” And it’s not like he’s coming home any time soon. Still, he contemplates his “reasoning” for telling. According to Delaware Online, he said that he came “... up in the streets… So to do this, it ain't right," he said. "I'm doing it anyways." To Downs, it remains the "hardest thing [he’s] ever done."

Capital punishment should have been the way to go for sealing Downs’ fate. Alas, Delaware abolished the death penalty in 2016. Out of respect for the victim and his or her family, this lowlife ought to have been given even more years tacked onto his sentence at least. He makes snitching seem wrong when it is clearly the right thing to do.

A felonious murderer already serving time for that crime should not get any leniency whatever. Whatever evidence that he may provide, he will forever be a terrible excuse for a human being and is stealing precious air that his victim deserved. Downs represents cowardice, not because he “snitched,” but because he used that power in the wrong way. People will say that he’s selfish when that couldn’t be further from the truth. He’s a self-destructive monster who deserves no favors from the state of Delaware.

Snitches are the sentries who lead police and other law enforcement to the bad guys and girls. They illuminate shadowy testimonies and murky suspicion. The name snitch is far too good for the likes of Downs. What the Vaughn incident sums up is the fact that we are still devoid of objective law. There is a sense that the system is broken and that there is nothing that anyone can do about it. With objectivity in place, there would not be any concessions granted to convicted criminals like Downs. Even if the information that such persons provide may help, they should still feel the full force of the law raining down on their heads.

In Downs’ case, he is more of a rat than a snitch. A rat is someone who is already grimy and squeaks on the people that he confided in and trusted. A snitch is a real man or woman who chooses to promote justice.