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What kind of effect on a society would such a thing have? Every single crime, even for such harmless things as downloading a movie, will get you killed. Would crime basically disappear? I'm just talking hypothetically here.
Either they'd wipe out the entire population or they'd stop enforcing it before they did.
It has been well and truly proven that consequences largely have no bearing on people committing crime. If somebody is going to do something then they will regardless.
I can't be bothered to search for the details, but I recall reading years ago about a programme in Canada where they introduced prisoners to the very simple concepts that everyone is responsible for their own actions, and actions always have consequences. A surprising number of people just don't grasp those facts, and my recollection is that the effect on recidivism was significant.
But of course the "lock 'em up and throw away the key" approach is simpler, and it appeals to our atavistic desire to make people who do bad things suffer, so politicians who push that will always get the votes of lots of people.
There are also people who are convinced they're smart enough to never be caught, people who are so invested in the criminal lifestyle that prison time is just an unavoidable occupational hazard, and those who simply don't give a shit.
Are you sure? Just because there are some people who don't think consequences, we may have no idea how many people did not commit a certain crime exactly because of the consequences (as opposed to just innate moral or no desire to do so). If nothing had a penalty do you think the "crime" rate would just stay the same? Seems odd...
It comes down to people, not the punishment. I’d argue that if you never ended up committing the crime then it evidences you never would’ve gone through with it regardless. One will do what they really want to do.
If there were much lower punishments for murder it doesn’t mean everyone would do it. I can tell you that many don’t have it in them, it’s not consequences stopping them.
Maybe we should abolish the police and prisons then, must be a waste of resources. But murder is an extreme example that almost everyone has an instinctive aversion against. What about the relatively less serious crimes like breaking the speed limit, drug abuse, letting children drink and smoke, vandalism, minor theft (or even major fot that matter), smuggling, thespassing, fraud, drunk driving or even starting a physical fight with someone when youre actually angry at them. etc. As well as regulations for building and such. Do you think all of them would stay equally low?
Because it’s contradictory.
If a person was moral enough, or fearful enough of consequence then they’d not have the character necessary to commit those crimes to begin with.
What Tommythecaty says is true. There is no significant correlation between punishment and the crimes committed.
I agree with you guys, but what about animal abusers? I don't think a guy who buried his own dog alive deserves to live. I can't stand people who harm/kill animals.
What about people with child pornagraphy? Do we just cut off their dominant hand at that point? Or do we hang them like the rest?
Find a way to temporarily blind, and incapacitate them? Honestly, I don't care what happens to those people as long as it ain't good.
Some states chemically castrate molesters. Molesting is worse than just having the CP on your computer but still. The 5-20 years behind bars seems fit for the crime considering you didnt actually do anything besides download it from the people who did do it (and they deserve death)
Child pornography is not a victimless crime. Everytime some piece of shit pervert watches, and gets off to child pornography that person is an accomplice to a rape in progress. It's disgusting that children are made to suffer for the purpose of making media that is used for the self gratification of pedophiles. I'm sure plenty of child molesters started off just looking at pornography.
Let's start by making the conditions in prisons horrible. Make it a place you don't ever want to go.
Consequences do have an effect. When you are a small child Moma will tell you not to touch the stove you don't care and do it anyway. You don't do it again, not unless you're just plain stupid.
People being sent to country club style prisons because they have money or celebrity status is BS.
Others being sent to prisons where it's better than their life outside.
Neither of these are a real deterrent.
Different levels of prison for different level of crime, okay
But I think we coddle our criminals and yet a lot of minor crimes are over punished.
Punishment should fit crime, you steel something you lose your stuff. You beat or molest someone then you get the same. Amount of time depends on how long and how many you did it to.
I wonder why so many people here seemingly think people can't think consequences (although there may be some that actually don't, there are many stupid people). Even animals respond to punishment and learning that something can hurt them (I'm not advocating for animals abuse). If people didn't think consequences we would be dumber than most animals. And a serious flaw in the survey is that nobody asked the law obedient people what crimes they actually would commit of there was no legal consequenses.
The time I started using seat belts in bus was when I realized you could get fined (the risk of a serious accident simply felt too low) and the bus was actually stopped to talk about it once. And if it wasn't illegal in my country (Norway) I would probably get a pet frog at some point, I legit don't see why that's wrong but apparently its illegal to keep amphibians (thankfully some reptiles are allowed) and that means it can get punished and risk of animals being put down solely because someone doesn't like it.
I think most what's in the Bible is hooey, but there is a fundamental truth in the, "Let he who is without sin..." line.
If even the most trivial violation of every law was punished with death, there would very soon be no police, no courts, no prison guards and no executioners.
That's obviously totally impractical, but it could be the premise for a (probably very bad) science fiction movie where law enforcement has been taken over by an AI that's gone haywire and robotic cops.
What I do not understand about the person who posted this thread; and let me put it in a question to you (the OP):
If you really believed that - why did you not kill yourself years ago? You have certainly committed some crime - no matter how trivial: Jaywalking, speeding, and a variety of other common things that virtually everyone does.
I wonder how you’d feel if you were about to be put to death for going through a stop sign!
The "society" would crumble in days if not hours. The people who would want an actual society would branch off and create their own system.
It would first drastically reduce the population, it would make society more unstable/less functioning since people from various occupations disappear and children lose their parents, at a large scale. I also think it would start a revolution
let's start by killing all the people who are hateful to someone because of their sexual attraction or preference.