Is a harsh penalty the solution to deterring crime?

Question

I read a story on habitual offenders and I believe these people break the law just so they can live in prison to free load off the tax payers. Do you think beating them with a stick could change thier minds?

Answer 1

No, The answer to this question is simple. Arm every registered American voter with a visable side arm, "like the old west", this I am sure will make any person thinking of committing an offense think twice before making their move.

Answer 2

Well, answer me this:

What deters crime, other than a harsh penalty? It's not hugs and kisses. It's not forgiveness. It's not unconditional love. That's all nonsense.

What happens to little children when you never punish them? They become self-important and defiant of authority. They just do whatever they want. The more positive reinforcement you give them, the worse they become.

Harsh penalties are the only thing that can deter anything. But even that is not enough. Some people become so insane or so hardened, that they don't care. You will never deter all crime.

You cannot prevent all crime, but you can make committing a crime to be something which is not very tempting at all to people who are borderline criminals, by frightening them with what might happen to them.

I believe that repeat offenders, especially when committing serious or violent crimes, should have all their civil rights removed and exist at the mercy of the state. Old school, downright inhumane treatment, is the only way to treat people who have turned so evil that prison is not a deterrent, and they have committed seriously inhumane acts themselves.

People want to act like animals instead of enlightened people, then you need to beat them like a dog that just attacked you. That is the ONLY way to reach them.

And by the way, if you think I like this, you're wrong. I hate the fact that people can become so rotten that you can no longer treat them like people. I would like to believe everyone can be redeemed. However, if they aren't even seeking redemption, apology, and restitution, you can never forgive them.

Why forgive someone who continues to threaten to kill you? That makes no sense whatsoever.

Answer 3

It's true some habitual offenders repeat the same crime so they can go back to jail. Sometimes that is the best place they have ever been, they get fed, beds, outside rec, tv...etc.. Some people can't make it on the outside world, they feel a since of order being in prison.

Answer 4

Actually, no.
First, when people commit a crime they never consider getting caught, so the harshness of any punishment is inconsequential.
And looking at the death penalty, there have been quite a few killers that killed because they wanted the government to kill them.
Ted Bundy is the perfect example of that.
I consider life in prison much harsher, and since it costs much less to convict someone for a penalty less than death, the interest on the money saved will take care of their 'upkeep'.

Answer 5

Absolutely it is.. Not one executed person has returned from the dead to kill, rob, rape, torture, or steal. It works. I understand that there are going to be some exceptions who are innocent, but we must do what is best for the public.
The tax payers should not be forced to pay for up keep of convicts even if we have to outsource their labor in off other countries. I think 1 time with drugs min 10 yrs of nothing but hard time, second offense immediate firing squad. We need to take our legal system back from lawyers and return it to the people. If teens think drugs, guns are so great we should let them pay the price. You catch a teen DUI or procession an immediate 5 year community sentence picking up trash of fhe highway wearing a pink petty coat, panties or something to make them look as crazy and dumb as they are using drugs or alcohol.
Enough of allowing lawyers and judges using people like ted bundy, to make themselves rich at our expense.
We could ship our prisoners off to an island, isloate them from each other(criminals don't deserve sex, especially with each other) let some other country who would be glad to house them for pennies a day and work the hell out of them . Prisoners do not deserve 3 or even two good meals a day, cable tv, internet or telephone. once convicted all prisoners should be isolated from everyone they ever knew until their sentence is carried out or in the case of murder, rape, drugs, hi-jacking, gang related crimes they should be executed.
There is not one dam thing in the constition

Answer 6

Are you kidding me???? I've done time.While I'm sure some low level offenders commit crimes to get locked up,esp. during the winter, jail sucks!!!!! Prison is no country club either.It's a dangerous place and you are constantly being reminded you have no rights and are under the thumb of other people!!! People commit crimes becasue of addiction,mental instability,desperation, emotional distress and other reasons that no matter what the deterant the crimes will still be committed.

Answer 7

Somehow I do not think prisons are nice places. Did you know the US has the highest prison population of any country in the world? 2.5 million locked up, thats even more than Communist China, and we have some of the heaviest penalties in the world, too. Maybe its time to eliminate the victimless crimes. This prison based economy is what brought down the USSR, it is an economic cancer that destroys countries that do it.

Answer 8

Yeah everything we've ever done has worked so well by deterring crime. LOL
Give me a break, you will have people committing crimes as long as they're needs are not met which in turn gives government control to use you to vote them in cause they want to "protect" you from criminals, when in fact the politician has stolen your money and lined his pockets.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
The reason you can't fix nothing, you keep doing the same thing as before.

Answer 9

it really is totally plausible that once they teased out factors besides the inability of life penalty that they ignored particular issues. there will be factors that impression the homicide cost few human beings have theory-about. yet another major flaw is that it rejects a international view. It focuses basically on states. it might evaluate with different international places, too. maximum ecu international places haven't any lack of life penalty, yet a low crime cost. If the inability of life penalty is so significant for deterrence why is that? no matter if the inability of life penalty is inaccurate or precise hinges totally on deterrence vs. form of harmless execute, so no matter if it does have some deterrent outcome we ought to quantify the shape of harmless executed and evaluate.

Answer 10

I actually visited Soledad prison in California as a student and it was not that bad. So I wouldnt be surprised if people actually broke the law just to be in prison. I also think that our system puts people in prison for stupid stuff and they dont deal with the problem.

i think beating them with a stick is a great idea.. its not "strange or unusual".. seriously!