Quote Originally Posted by EyeKhan View Post
You misinterpret my argument. I am interested in what is good, or most practical and effective, for society -- part of which is cost/ benefit. Imprisoning this woman carries a much higher cost and no better benefit than treating her mental illness. I suspect the reason you disagree is because treatment doesn't satisfy your desire for punishment. A thirst for revenge and hurt is not part of my moral calculus (probably a residue from my Christian upbringing), nor does satisfying it benefit society in any way. Probably your yearning for such things clouds in your mind what needs to be done in favor of what you desire to be done, but they are not the same thing.
Let me make sure I clarify your argument.

Your position is that whatever is "good, or most practical and effective, for society -- part of which is cost/ benefit" is that locking up this woman is not as good for society because of the monetary cost? Do you have a specific equation you work off of?

For example X crime has a cost associated with it. Let's say child murder. What is the societal cost for allowing child murder to occur? Apply this to other crimes such as rape, assault, etc. Once you have that you can consider the probability of it occurring and then compare that to the cost of prison. So what price tag do you consider child abuse to have?

The monetary cost of locking people up can be high however the entire basis of government, the social contract, which says 'yeah we'll accept the lack of absolute freedom in exchange for safety' is the REASON we want government and not anarchy. The cost of keeping us safe is one of the few expenditures I'm fully in favor of.