U-Shaped Deterrence

“The death penalty deters murder.”  A classic right-wing idea.  So classic, in fact, that it’s tempting to think that the idea of deterrence itself is right-wing.

Yet on reflection, that’s absurd. 

The left strongly believes in deterrence for discrimination.  If you said, “Let’s cap discrimination damages at $1000,” they would predict a massive increase in discrimination.  

The left strongly believes in deterrence for pollution.  If you said, “We should let first-time pollution lawbreakers of...