[Bring_Back_Shantz]

The harsher sentences lead to more repeat offenders thing doesn't really hold a lot of water for me. That's a great example of correlation not implying causation.

Could it in fact be that those who are more likely to reoffend are given harsher sentences? I'd say that's probably the case, rather than harsher sentences causing people to reoffend.

I'd say the guy who gets behind the wheel a little tipsy, gets a slap a slap on the wrist, is probalby the kind of person who isn't likely to reoffend as he's more likely to learn his lesson, and thus doesn't deserve a very harsh sentence. The guy in question here though, was drunk off his ass, and drove the wrong way down a highway for 30km. I'd say regardless of the lenght of sentence, that's the kind of guy who is more likley to reoffend, and more likely to get a longer sentence, which will for some reason lend weight to the possibly flawed "Longer sentences contribute to reoffending" argument.