(urth) This Week in Google Alerts: Home Fires

[Jeff Wilson]

On 4/11/2012 7:38 PM, Marc Aramini wrote:
> I think the ultimate detterent from repeat offenses is clearly a quick death not tied up in a too long and costly appeals system.  How can that not be a crime deterrent?

It can lead to spree killing, like the Phillipine "amok". If you've 
already got the maximum punishment coming, there are no further 
consequences to additional crimes.

There's a similar effect where lifers w/no parole are free to mistreat 
(as in rape and maim) other prisoners, assault guards, etc, esp if 
administrative punishment like solitary is circumscribed; as long as 
they don't kill again, further sanction is temporary. With death already 
guaranteed, even killing would have no differential in punishment, 
unless you wanted to reinstate torture or apply sanction to family 
members....wonderful prospect.


-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at clueland.com
Computational Intelligence Laboratory - Texas A&M Texarkana
< http://www.tamut.edu/CIL >