Wikipedia talk:No get out of jail free cards

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[edit] No punishment

There's nothing in Wikipedia policy that gives anyone any authority to punish someone for misdeeds. The purpose of actions such as blocking and banning is specifically preventative -- to stop damage to the project -- rather than punitive. Repentance only enters into it insofar as it is actually predictive of future behavior. --FOo (talk) 08:39, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Essay updated to reflect this; although nowhere did I mention punishment per se. However, there have been incidents in the past where an AN thread has been opened and then everything 'swept under the carpet' because the user is established. It doesn't happen often, but it has in the past. RichardΩ612 Ɣ |ɸ 18:02, May 15, 2008 (UTC)