Re: Not always joking, it seems

In article 
<cba473b5-d617-4d82-a69f-fcf51ec2baca@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
 IsaacKuo <mechdan@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> >  Those in favour of capital punishment often rebut that it has to be
seen to
> > be _effective_ capital; punishment in that it occurs with some
regularity
> > and reasonable quickly.
> 
> Maybe this is what Seth was thinking?  That swift
> and certain death is a much worse punishment
> than death that takes a few years and isn't
> guaranteed?
> 

"Isn't guaranteed" is a bit of an understatement. 

The national murder rate is about 5.7/100,000, or roughly 17,000/year.

In 2006 there were 53 executions.

So, on average, a murderer has about one chance in 300 of being executed.

-- 
 http://www.daviddfriedman.com/
http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/
 Author of _Harald_, a fantasy without magic.
 Published by Baen, in bookstores now