Leishmania wrote:"take care of it after the fact?"
As if punitive measures only have effects in punishment. Perhaps it's counterintuitive, but strong punitive measures often act as a deterrent for illegal activities.
Leishmania wrote:OOC: Actually, "good evidence" shows that that's exactly what someone who's about to murder someone might think, especially in the case of first-degree murder. Yes, you will find countless articles about the death penalty being an ineffective deterrent, and this is perfectly legitimate. However, this is not to say that punishment itself isn't an effective deterrent. Study after study has found that the severity of the punishment has little deterrent effects, but the perceived probability of punishment indeed does. Punishment is a widely effective deterrent or wouldn't be so ubiquitous in international law.
If this is true, then your own argument for more stringent penalties should have no effect on illegal activities: the variable of interest would rather be the probability of capture. Your position is self-contradictory.
Corrected misquote.