AIBU to generally prefer to avoid the police and judicary whenever possible

[oneinthebox]

I have some serious problems to deal with that many people, including various health workers and friends, have said is worrysome and ought to be looked in to, but I just think that the amount of trouble that could happen when getting the police or judiciary involved is too much, and that's leaving out the often emotionally draining effort of having a slinging match aired out publicly in front of everyone you know.

Obviously, I understand that, in my situation, I am having wrong done to me and therefore I would probably find, at least, sympathy from the people who know me, but the reluctance to take a private family issue public and drag it through the police system and judiciary is quite scary to me.

Your post is vague but I presume you mean you don't want to go to the police about someone who is harming you. If you don't want to that is your decision but you should always take steps to safeguard yourself and remove yourself from the risk of harm.

It's difficult to advise without knowing the individual situation.

But yes, I think a lot of people are wary of getting the police involved. Just because you are right, just because you are the victim, doesn't mean that justice will be served. Even when it is, it's not necessarily worth the effort.

Personally I would never report an incident to the police unless I was a victim not a witness, and I had physical evidence of their guilt and my innocence. The person making a report is the number one suspect in many cases, so you need to be able to prove your point of view - in effect, before someone else is found guilty, you have to prove you are innocent yourself.