Abstract
Mass homicides, of which school shootings are a species, are all too common. What makes them philosophically interesting is that the usual punishments for such crimes are ineffective. How does one deter a person who is intent on killing himself or herself upon completion of the massacre? After clarifying the concepts of prevention, deterrence, and punishment, I describe various modes of punishment. If we are serious about preventing mass homicides, we must not rule out any mode of punishment a priori. I suggest several punishments, such as torture and imprisonment with hard labor, that may deter prospective mass murderers. The aim is to find a punishment that the prospective mass murderer fears more than death. I also recommend the inculcation of theism (understood as belief in a retributive god) as a means of deterring mass homicides.
Highlights
The principal end of punishments is to prevent like offences
If we are serious about preventing mass homicides, we must not rule out any mode of punishment a priori
If we are serious about preventing school shootings and other mass homicides, we must not rule out any mode of punishment a priori
Summary
The principal end of punishments is to prevent like offences. The past offence is only as one point; the future is infinite. The Santa Fe shooter, who was years of age at the time of his murders, is not eligible for the death penalty as a result of a 2005 Supreme Court ruling, others, who have reached the age of and who happen to live in a state that has capital punishment, are. These individuals must know that they will, in all likelihood, be put to death eventually for their crimes. If we are serious about preventing school shootings and other mass homicides, we must not rule out any mode of punishment a priori. In Part 8, I consider three objections to my analysis, to each of which, I believe, there is an adequate reply
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