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> since the only two possible reasons, cost and deterrence, don't hold up. Another possible reason is prevention of recidivism, and that certainly holds up.
by baddox 11y ago
> since the only two possible reasons, cost and deterrence, don't hold up.
Another possible reason is prevention of recidivism, and that certainly holds up.
- dragonwriter 11y ago> Another possible reason is prevention of recidivism, and that certainly holds up. Only as a micro-optimization. Prevention of recidivism doesn't bring a net benefit to society if it doesn't actually reduce the overall level of the crime it seeks to prevent being repeated.
- baddox 11y agoWhy wouldn't prevention of recidivism reduce the overall level of the crime?
- dragonwriter 11y ago> Why wouldn't prevention of recidivism Ceteris paribus, it would. However, there's no actual evidence that, with the death penalty, it does.
- mikeash 11y agoEscape is unlikely from the sort of prison that a lifer who would otherwise be executed would be in. Recidivism is therefore negligible.
- baddox 11y agoOne could argue that a single victim murdered by an escaped criminal is unacceptable, just like one could argue that a single person executed erroneously is unacceptable.