South Africa: Does South Africa's Criminal Justice System Deter Offenders?

analysis

Conventional wisdom holds that the threat of harsh punishment acts as a deterrent against crime. This view is based on the assumption that criminals weigh the potential benefit of committing a crime against the potential cost of being caught and punished.

This theory of criminal behaviour has largely been discredited, because in the real world criminals often tend not to think that they will get caught. Nevertheless, the view persists.

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