this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2025
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The reason why punishment does not deter crime is because people who commit crimes usually do so because they are out of options, or were not given other options to begin with. So if you increase the severity of the punishment, you are merely making it more stressful for the people to commit the crimes, rather than deterring them.
That's my take. And I don't have a damn criminology degree to come up with that. (Not to say it's necessarily true, but it rings true to me.)
It's good that you say that. There are occasions where what seems reasonable, really isn't after investigating the issue.
Regarding crime and punishment: First, I also don't specialize in criminology, but I have read a bunch of scientific papers regarding the effect of severity of punishment on crime rates. From what I've gathered, more severe punishments usually do not reduce crime rates. A prominent example are death sentences, which virtually do nothing to reduce crime rates. Instead, the danger of being caught seems to be more effective.
However, this does of course not encompass the causes of crime, which can be manifold. It's not always stuff like the satifaction of basic needs. Take a look at big companies or rich individuals, who commit tax fraud for example. Or people who murder or harm others out of unstable emotions. Would you say they are out of options?
But I don't know about numbers and associated causes for crime in an average populace. It could be enlightening to take a look at that.