> Deterrant means, for example, that someone who is > considering stealing > somthing will consider the fact that people who steal go to > prision and say > "gee, I better not steal then." (S)he is deterred from > her/his actions. An > insane person will rarely be deterred, because their thinking > process is not > logical. If they are in a highly controlled environment, they will be > seperated from society. > > Dan M.
Perhaps the notion of Justice and punishment needs to change for the 21st century. Many of the most horrific crimes recently are those where the perpetrator knew it was wrong, unaffected by deterrence, and did it anyway. When a criminal like Andrea Yates immedately calls the police after the crime, there is either not enough of a deterrence, or there is not any deterrence method what would work. Another example would be the 30+ suicide bombings in the last year killing thousands. Perhaps the Hari Seldon had the answer - You make them dissappear from history. Nerd From Hell "Hari for President"
