I heard an interview this morning where a former cop and current professor of criminology suggested solving the prison overcrowding and cost escalation problems by allowing convicted criminals to opt for corporal punishment instead of jail time. He said flogging was no more "cruel and unusual" than prison in the long run.
The question I still have is how many lashes equals a year in prison? I've never experienced either one, so how can I know? I suspect I would prefer quite a few lashes to prison time. After a few, it probably gets a bit numbing.
Given the huge cost savings, I would be in favor if we thought the punishments were equal. They (experts I suppose) say the recidivism is high because you learn a lot in prison about crime (great social networking) and can't get a legit job afterwards. So we would be reducing that problem.
The other conundrum is what the purpose is for criminal punishment in the first place. Is it deterrence? Is it rehabilitation? Is it punishment on behalf of society? Each one might equate a different number of lashes to equal a year of prison.
Thoughts???
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