You want to allow murderers and rapists to be in the community being forced to work?
Yes. Behind bars in maximun security. Or on a modern version of a chain gang. Obviously not at the local supermarket.
Penalties being used as deterrents are one of the primary purposes considered in sentencing by the courts.
Penalties have multiple purposes. As far as deterrents go would it change your actions one bit if instead of three years jail for drink driving you got four years? I already agreed that there needs to be a serious penalty to be a deterrant not a trivial one. If the penalty for drink driving was life in jail, think about it, never getting out, a lifetime of rape and other violence, would you drink drive? Now imagine we changed the penalty to death would that change your actions?
Why are we wanting to live in a world where murderers and rapists are kept alive?
Why aren't you? Have you never heard of redemption? Forgiveness? A second chance? I am not saying I want a rapist or a murderer living in my house but off in a prison where they are getting better not worse is the ideal.
So you want to kill all murders. Rapists. What about bank robbers? Drunk drivers kill people lets execute them. I also hate people that litter. Next Muslims and Jews. Where do you want to stop Herr Naker?
Over the last 20 years the prison population in Australia has doubled.
That is nothing. In USA prison is bigger than many states. If they were cost neutral I wouldn't care. If we didn't put poor people in prison for not paying fines where they turn into hardened criminals it would be better. There are already so many better alternatives for non-violent prisoners like home detention. The trouble is the legal system is seen to have no teeth by most.
As I said people don't commit murders or rapes because they think the penalties are low (although they often are) but because they think they will get no penalty or they don't think and no penalty will change their actions.