elee, apparently you are looking for a deterrent that is 100%...

elee, apparently you are looking for a deterrent that is 100% effective, in that case you are right, there is none. Those opposed to capital punishment are also basing their case on it having a less than 100% success rate. It is also probably going to be even less successful if we try and judge it's effect on those who are already on the wrong side of the law and whose values have already been formed. Instead we should try and measure what sort of a deterrent effect it will have on the young kids growing up now and still forming their attitudes and values. From looking at my kids I can see that this coming hanging is going to leave a lasting impression on them. As has been mentioned in another post, the Barlow and Chambers hanging had a lasting effect on those who were around at the time and old enough to comprehend the significance of the event. In the main, most of those caught up in drug trafficking are either too young to remember that hanging or perhaps their parents never used it as a lesson for them to take heed of.