Getting Caught

• Research has shown that increases in the possibility of a punishment have a greater deterrent effect than the severity of the punishment, leading to an increase in the use of deterrent methods, according to criminologist Valerie Wright.
  
  

Rationality

• A perception exists that criminals make rational economic decisions when committing a crime. When the punishment seems severe enough, the criminal will theoretically make a rational decision not to carry out the crime. As a result, legislators sometimes have the impulse to increase the severity of the punishment for the deterrent effect. However, criminals do not always make rational decisions and some are under the influence of drugs at the time they commit the crime. Increasing the severity of the punishment does not increase the deterrent effect as much as increasing the chances that the law catches the criminal.
  
  

Minimizing Pain

• One theory holds that people seek to maximize pleasure while minimizing pain and that prison increases pain, so people will avoid committing criminal acts to avoid pain, according to sociologist Robert Keel. The consequences of being caught will not always serve as a deterrent, since the criminal may realize the imprisonment was not as bad as he thought it would be, leading him to not fear punishment in the future.
  
  

Reputation

• Imprisonment tarnishes a reputation, decreasing the criminal's chances of getting a job and possibly harming personal relationships. While some people may avoid committing crimes out of fear of social disapproval, social disapproval can also have a negative effect on deterring crime. People sometimes do not report crimes out of a fear of social disapproval. Those who have jobs may be less likely to commit crimes since they fear the social disapproval they will experience at work.
  
  

Societal Values

• Some societies value deterrence, since deterrence serves as a representation of the society's overall condemnation of the criminal act. In addition, acts of deterrence encourage people to develop habits. For example, deterring speeding by giving people tickets for speeding leads theoretically to people speeding less often.
  
  

Deterring Others

• Society imprisons some criminals multiple times for repeated infractions. Even when imprisonment does not deter the specific criminal, frequent imprisonment might deter others who see the enforcement of the crime and decide not to pursue a life of crime themselves.