Tell Me Again Why....

[Fidel_Castronaut]

... which is why people feel less afraid committing those graver crimes.


Prisons don't work too well either.

If you're trying to imply that the threat of barbaric punishments will deter crime then you're completely wrong. I see you cited a bbc article regarding how prisons don't work. Many people who acknowledge that re-offending rates are so high (in many parts of the east and west) propose that prison shouldn't be about punishment at all, but more about rehabilitation. There are still many countries that impose barbaric torture techniques and even the death penalty, especially muslim countries, yet they do not deter crime at all. In fact, the correlation between tough penal systems with crime rates + inequality is staggering. You should read the spirit level by Richard Wilkinson, although this would mean opening your mind to sources outside of Islam. Either way, the threat of brutal torture doesn't stop crime at all, and in many cases the countries that impose such disgusting punishments as lashing and stoning are amongst the most miserable and corrupt on the planet.

Completely agree.

Besides, if prison isn't working, then the answer is to evaluate and reform. It's difficult to imagine how one can reform the process of stoning/lashing someone for a crime.

And as you rightly say, extreme punishments like that very rarely (if ever) act as a deterrent.