No Excuse

The Roman Polanski saga has played out like something out of a Polanski movie. His misdeeds of decades past have followed him to the present day in a strange fashion. Despite the assertions by L.A. prosecutors to the contrary, it is likely that, had Polanski’s case not been such a high-profile one, the pursuit of this beleaguered film director would have ended a long time ago. His extradition and arrest do not represent a glorious triumph for the administration of justice everywhere; the Polanski case was hardly an example of finesse and swiftly administered justice. Indeed, Polanski’s victim, Samantha Geimer, has publicly stated that she has come to terms with her abuse and does not wish to see the case pursued.

But none of this changes the fact that Roman Polanski drugged and raped a 13-year-old girl. Polanski did not allow himself to be properly sentenced for this crime, instead choosing to flee the country on the fear that his transgression would be met with a prison sentence. Justice was never served, and it does not have an expiration date. The administration of justice may be 30 years late and may only be taking place now because of Polanski’s celebrity, but this is merely a reflection of the unfortunate fact that not everyone who escapes justice is punished, not proof that people who escape justice for long enough should be rewarded. Nor should justice pander to peculiar circumstances or Academy Awards. The fact that Roman Polanski is an acclaimed movie director who gave people cinematic masterpieces like “Rosemary’s Baby” does not exonerate him, and any defense of Polanski that is predicated on his artistic gifts is terribly misguided.

From a broad perspective, little may be accomplished by jailing Polanski—his victim has expressed no desire to see Polanski punished, the arrest comes decades after the fact, and Polanski has by all known accounts not committed any other transgressions. But the idea that this man should be given a free pass simply because he is a celebrity or because his punishment is overdue is offensive to the idea that all individuals are to be treated as equals under the law. Roman Polanski’s life has been difficult and his achievements great, but he should have no asylum from justice.