h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

See, that's just a strong ticking off is that. Or it is if you believe some people in this thread and anyone to read the daily mail.

I agree with you TB, it's not an easy option by any means.

The thing that used to get to him was that sometimes they'd get a bit clean and the next day when they got there someone would have resprayed what they'd spent ages cleaning off.

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They do that here in New Zealand.

Vicky

"Statisticaly, those states in the US which have the death penalty have a higher murder rate that those which don't."

I think that's like saying people in high-crime neighborhoods tend to own guns. I'm not seeing the connection between your cause and effect.
Nerd42

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What are you saying here, Nerd42?

That people in high-crime neighbourhoods own guns to defend themselves against crime.. but could it not be the other way around, that the high rate of gun ownerships *makes* it a violent neighbourhood?

Nerd42, it's quite simple, simple enough that even you should be able to comprehend it. If the death penalty were a more effective deterant than a life sentence, RE murder, you would expect to see a lower murder rate in states with capital punishment than in those which issue life senteces for equivalent crimes. Further to this the murder rates have increased more rapidly in death penalty states, something which I did not state before.

Also, DA you need to be careful linking gun ownership to crime. Canada has a similar number of guns, per capita, to the US but a small fraction of the number of shootings. I would be willing to sugest that the vast majority of civilian owned guns in Canada are hunting rifles, while the US has an exceedingly large proportion of pistols and assault weapons in civilian hands. Personally I see no reason why any civilian would need an assault weapon or self contained amunition pistol unless they were planing on commiting a crime.

T.B., you are of course correct about Canada... so probably it's not so much the guns, as what people do with them....


Vicky

(In reply to post 42.)

A211050.

I think the whole point of this is that if punishment was 100% certain and it was in proportion to the severity of the crime, crime rates would fall. If I implied earlier that community service was a breeze, or that it disdn't work, I apologise. What I'm meaning is that each crime should have a corresponding punishment. If you murder someone you get a more sever punsishment (like life in prison) than if you steal a CD you get something lesser (like a ban from the store and a fine).