In japan where the crime rate is so low, old people voluntarily commit crimes so that they can go to jail and be cared for. This occurs because the punishment i

In japan where the crime rate is so low, old people voluntarily commit crimes so that they can go to jail and be cared for. This occurs because the punishment is basically not negative at all. It's hard to say whether this is actually a really bad thing given the state of japan. On the other end of the spectrum... the abstract threat of punishment itself can mold a society. Look at singapore where you can get whipped for spitting gum on the ground. Such policies have created a city that is virtually spotless. I don't think it is the punishments that cause the city to be like this but it is the threat of the punishment that keeps the city this way. The problem is people are too intelligent. Can the threat of punishment be deployed without an actual punishment? I don't think so. It's also questionable in singapore whether or not the punishment fits the crime. It's hard to say whether lashes till your back bleeds for defacing public property or even death for possessing drugs serve to rehabilitate the criminal. I don't know why singapore chose such extreme policies. One thing is for sure though, the death of a drug dealer serves as a sacrificial lamb to generate the abstract threat of extreme punishment. The death of one prevents the creation of many. Moral or not moral? Either way you can't argue with the results.