
Originally Posted by
M.A.D.
It actually goes beyond just using capital punishment to deter crime. The attitude towards earning a living and living off other people depends on the culture. This can be determined by the way a government works. If it had social programs that were sustainable by an availability of resources such as money and oil then there is basically no incentive to petty crimes in order to survive. Others can result to effective social programs like food stamps and all, but in extreme cases were government does not function optimally then desperation will often lead to these acts of violence. A father may steal or rob just to feed his family and he could care less about his own well-being. For others, if they can't make ends meet they might as well kill themselves.
Singapore has a death penalty, that is a good point to consider since singapore has to keep its reputation a global powerhouse of international business and finance. It cannot afford to be tarnished by liberal ideals since it was founded on strict and effective leadership. Outside influences cannot change how singapore functions, there were attempts in the past by the US and the communist but this was quelled swiftly by LKY.
Here in the philippines, does penalty does not neccessarily deter crime, maybe during Marcos time it could. You would ask yourself why would I rob or steal when I have everything I need? The motivation to do so is based solely on being able to get a decent meal and sleep to live the next day. But now, things are not so easy anymore hence those who do not have appropriate skills and intelligence reduce themselves to doing these acts.
All in all, a rising quality of life and a strict adherence to law and respect for each other will produce good results. Death penalty can be a good compliment, especially when the person has committed crimes against the state, or if the act itself is so heinous that society would be dumbfounded anyone so sick and twisted would be able to do that.
There is also the problem of prison, the cost of having a person in prison actually outweight the cost of financing the education of a child from the very start up to the point they leave highschool. I think the best way to deal with prisoners is to induce them to slave labor as a way of minimizing costs. But maybe some liberals may see this as inhumane, but they don't understand the cost of running a prison as their sole objective is to weaken the institutions from within.