The Crime Prevention Research Center often points out the issue of marginal deterrence. Examples that we point to include mass public shooters. Suppose the Nashville Covenant School mass murderer had lived and faced six life sentences or six death penalties. Would an additional six years from violating Tennessee’s gun-free school zone have really made a difference in the criminal committing the crime? By contrast, six years in prison for otherwise law-abiding citizens is a huge penalty. All the six-year prison term means is that law-abiding good citizens will obey the law, and the mass murderers will take advantage of the fact that they will be the only ones who will take a gun into the area. This episode from NCIS Hawaii provides another example. The criminal here has already been convicted of three murders, and being convicted of a fourth murder, even if it is a federal officer, won’t really matter.
NCIS Hawaii S3 E2 Marginal Deterrence 02 19 2024
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