> I have to ask: does 20 years provide more social benefit than 10? 5? Surely there's diminishing returns on imprisonment. Arguably, the social benefit is to d

> I have to ask: does 20 years provide more social benefit than 10? 5? Surely there's diminishing returns on imprisonment. Arguably, the social benefit is to deter more major crimes. If all crimes were X year sentences, then once you comitted one crime you may as well continue, since the punishment is the same either way.