We've all heard that in some countries, if you get caught stealing you'll have a hand cut off as a punishment. I also remember hearing that in some culture or cultures in the past, a similar punishment would be branding the name of the crime on a visible part of the criminal's body.
I've never come across anyone who thinks these are a good idea, and indeed I think losing a hand it might be a bit harsh for nicking a few sweets or a loaf of bread, but recently I've been wondering whether such a punishment is indeed such a bad thing for certain crimes.
It seems to me that there would be a number of advantages to such a punishment:
- Eases overcrowding in prisons (which is where criminals who are a real danger to society, such as murderers, ought to be kept)
- Avoids the guilty person being put in prison where he/she will associate with other criminals
- Much cheaper for the tax payer than putting them in prison
- Person can continue to work, in fact continuing to pay tax rather than costing it
- Person is not taken away from their family, so the family does not suffer for the individual's crime
- Visibility of the amputation, branding, etc may act as a good deterrent for other people
And I don't see how such a physical punishment is any more barbaric than the psychological punishment of jail.
I'm interested to know other people's thoughts on this.