re: #549 Spare O’Lake

According to capital punishment abolitionists some jurisdictions with the death penalty do not have significantly lower murder rates than those with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. In this limited context one may argue that the death penalty is largely retributive since it does not materially deter.
Of course these kinds of arguments are very much open to question since the statistics on which they are based include a number of uncontrolled factors.

Sure, i buy that. I think we could say (and Locker would say, although i disclaim here in an effort not to put the wrong words in their mouth) that incarceration is also a “retributive” measure.

Although while we’re at it, perhaps we’re just seeing it wrong. In the case of felonies that deserve (and receive) life sentences, should we more properly label incarceration as a “preventative” measure?

hmmm…