Quote:
Originally Posted by xianfox
2) Laws were never designed to PREVENT someone from committing a crime, only to provide for the PUNISHMENT of those who do.
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Surely, though, the idea is that fear of the punishment has a deterrent effect, is it not?
For example, in the UK, if you carry a gun while committing a crime, they basically lock you up and throw away the key. The result is that burglars, etc, don't (if they have any sense) carry guns, because they know that if they get caught, they might go to prison for 6 months for burglary, but it would be a 10 year sentence if they were caught carrying a gun while doing so.
That is an example of punishment changing the behavior of criminals.