Updated Apr 5, 2011 - 2:55 pm

Should bullies at work face jail time?

Comments   |   Print this   |   E-mail this   |   Tweet this   |   digg this

Bullying is set to become a crime in Australia, the country that recently got national attention when a teen stood up to his bully.

That case brought up bad memories from many people who said they were bullied when they were younger, we just didn't call it "bullying" then. Back then it was "picked on," or "roughed up." Today's bullying has an online component too that we didn't have back in the day.

Australia plans to amend their stalking laws in the state Parliament tomorrow, and by placing workplace and cyber bullying under the Crimes Act. That means anyone convicted of bullying could face up to 10 years in jail.

What would you think about this kind of law in Washington? I've written about this subject often (links below). The emails and comments I receive fall into two categories: People who were bullied as a child and say they are still harmed by those memories today say I can't write about the subject enough; People say the discussion about "bullying" is overblown and the term cyberbullying is something manufactured, in some way, by the media.

I want to know what you think. I do offer this explanation that some adults haven't considered - with social media and texting, bullies can reach out and verbally punch their victims any time of the day. Kids who are bullied in this way can't escape the abuse simply by going home and closing the bedroom door.

While Australia most recently dealt with the case of a student body slamming the kid who was taunting him, this legislation relates to a 2006 suicide of a teenager, Brodie Panlock. Her family says she was "merciless" bullying by four colleagues at work before she killed herself.

Co-workers called her ugly, dumped fish oil on her hair and clothing and spit on her. After they found out she tried to kill herself, they mocked her because she "failed" and offered her rat poison.

When she was 19, she jumped off the roof of an apartment building and died.

Her former co-workers faced a court case over this, and were fined between $10,000 and $45,000 each. With the law change, they would have faced jail time.

(Photo: Brodie Panlock, an Australian girl who committed suicide after being bullied by co-workers. Courtesy Facebook)

Related:

Bullied boy talks about fighting back

500 meet in Seattle for cyberbully conference

Podcast: Keeping your kids safe online

Almost 15,000 students suspended for bullying

• Add A Comment
  
  
  0
  0
• 

  JH Smith wrote...

  Jail time...

  Kind of a touchy subject in the workplace to talk about and enforce.... I would think it would be hard to define in a legal sense. Especially when it comes Supervisors applying negative motivation in order to get an employee to do what's needed. Would like to see more emphasis though, on identifying and enforcing rules against co-worker bullying by employers.

  April 5, 2011 3:27 pm

  306479

  0

  0 Reply Report this as abuse
• 

  Nickatnyt wrote...

  Bullys start early

  Get this nipped in the bud by 9th or 10th grade and it should happen less in the workplace. Sadly, bullys are nearly always encouraged to be this way by their trashy, or overly competitive families and then continue it into adulthood. Jail time would teach some of them, but why not use something more positive like community service or fines towards helping victims of violence?

  April 5, 2011 4:14 pm

  306502

  0

  0 Reply Report this as abuse
• 

  soo purletiv wrote...

  It's a good thing

  this law would never be abused or anything!

  April 5, 2011 7:20 pm

  306558

  0

  0 Reply Report this as abuse
• 

  DisNO wrote...

  More proof...

  that being adult does not mean people grow up. Sickening. Was that poor girl working with loser high school students or with grown men/women?

  April 6, 2011 10:58 am

  306711

  0

  0 Reply Report this as abuse
• 

  39859

  Reply Report this as abuse

• < prev
• 1
• next >