Quora Answer: How Could People Support Caning Criminals Like in Singapore?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “How could people support caning criminals like in Singapore?  How could anyone support cruelty, even for graffiti and egging?”

Singapore’s legal philosophy emphasises preventive legislation over punitive legislation.  The intent is to make the penalties so severe that people are deterred from committing the crime.  And it works.  Not all cases of vandalism lead to judicial caning.  The act of vandalism has to be considered of a permanent nature.  Breaking something, or graffiti with paint has judicial caning as a penalty.  Graffiti with chalk, or egging does not.

As a Singaporean, I support severe penalties.  We should never be indulgent of even the least anti-social behaviour because it creates an environment of acceptance, and that leads to more severe forms of anti-social behaviour.  This argument that canning a vandal is cruel does not gain much sympathy.  It is cruel to disrespect people by destroying or damaging their property.  And people who disrespect their neighbours are a threat to the fabric of society, and should be taught a lesson.