> Fireeye978@aol.com wrote:
>
> if nothing else, this might cause the
> young gangsters to be terrified of the lockup... {8^D spike
Unfortunately, I don't think this or any other deterrent will work on criminals or youth. For any deterrent to work, the potential criminal must weigh the chances of getting caught versus the chances of getting away with it, and the costs of getting caught versus the costs of getting away with it.
Criminals, especially young gang members, don't think this way, if they think at all. They act impulsively. They react emotionally or out of desperation. They don't carefully plan their crime or weigh all their options. Even if they do consider their actions, they tend to overrate their own abilities and underrate the abilities of authority figures. I have known some criminals and young gang-member types. I don't think any of them ever considered the possibility that they would get caught.
-- Harvey Newstrom <mailto:harv@gate.net> Author, Engineer, Entrepreneur, <http://www.gate.net/~harv> Consultant, Researcher, Scientist. <ldap://certserver.pgp.com>