We all react much more strongly to stimuli (here punishment but in other cases rewards too) when those stimuli are "swift and certain." That's true even in the

We all react much more strongly to stimuli (here punishment but in other cases rewards too) when those stimuli are "swift and certain." That's true even in the face of an alternative that is more severe but also delayed and only contingent (possible jail time, if ultimately tried and convicted). To me the effectiveness of the police assault is not particularly hard to understand or imagine. It's the same principle that leads many folks to resort to self-destructive behaviors in the short-term (addiction, etc.), even though many addicts completely understand and acknowledge the long-term consequences.