V
vern_humphrey
Guest
And there is the key, “I emphasize, some, not all.”I will address the heart of your post as I find time today, as it requires a thorough response. For now, I am just going to address a couple of the smaller issues.
Prevention is “only one of the criteria under Church doctrine” when it comes to punishment overall. But the Church treats capital punishment separately as involves the willful ending of human life. When it comes to this particular punishment, prevention is the only criterion. The Catechism does not do this for any other type of punishment.
We obviously lose a strong post-incarceration deterrent when abolishing the death penalty, but I think you overstate your case. I would take issue with your statement that “without it, there is no deterrent at all to in-prison murders.” One of the reasons even the toughest of wardens favor some “privileges” (TV, an hour outside, access to a library) and some “extra punishments” (solitary, the “hole,” etc.) is that these “carrots” and “sticks” give incentives and disincentives to obey/not obey prison rules. The thought of spending the rest of one’s years in a solitary confinement cell barely bigger than your body** is** a deterrent to **some **prisoners currently in “normal” incarceration. I emphasize, some, not all.
Some killers can reach outside the prison. Some killers can intimidate the Corrections Officers by threatening their families. Some suspects are willing to kill police, witnesses, prosecutors, jurors and judges.