Monday, December 12, 2005
On the Notion of Punishment as a Deterrent to Crime
Yeah, punishment is important to maintain an orderly and lawful society, and I certainly want to keep criminals off the street, but let's not kid ourselves. I think Shakespeare may have put it best (coming out of Portia's (? of all characters) mouth in the Merchant of Venice):
"The brain may devise laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps o’er a cold decree."
"The brain may devise laws for the blood, but a hot temper leaps o’er a cold decree."
# posted by alberich @ 6:48 PM 
