Oddly enough for all the humane opponents of irrational retribution, a
> pretty good case can be made that the savagely disproportionate (thus
> nonretributive) penalties we inflict are pretty effective at deterrence, and
> it's a concern that proportionate retribution, an eye for an eye, would not
> be nearly as effect as a deterrent because the penalties would be much
> lighter on average.
"Strike one to educate one thousand"?
-- "Hige sceal þe heardra, heorte þe cenre, mod sceal þe mare, þe ure mægen lytlað."