I think it's common sense to say that the longer away from a crime it gets prosecuted, the less deterrent effect there is.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Nothing will deter crime but the certainty of punishment.
The consequences of a crime should not be out of proportion to the crime itself.
Crimes sometimes shock us too much; vices almost always too little.
Some laws of state aimed at curbing crime are even more criminal.
You know what an effective deterrent to crime is? Jail! And do you know what kind of criminal penalty actually makes people think twice about committing crimes the next time? The kind that actually comes out of some individual's pocket, not fines that come out of the corporate kitty.
Incarcerating non-violent offenders in the same population as more dangerous criminals has the effect of inculcating the former into a culture of criminality common among the latter, making them more of a risk to public safety upon release than when they originally went in.
What to do about these increases in crime? Plenty of laws already exist to punish violent criminals, and research questions the level of correlation between longer sentences and lower crime rates.
It is more dangerous that even a guilty person should be punished without the forms of law than that he should escape.
If the same punishment is prescribed for two crimes that injure society in different degrees, then men will face no stronger deterrent from committing the greater crime if they find it in their advantage to do so.
First of all, it does not deter crime, the death penalty.