Thank you very much.
The question asked why there does not seem to be conclusive evidence about the deterrent effect of sentencing.
I was going to make the point that I've been appearing these committees for many years, and it seems that almost every time I've appeared, the questions have been the same: what is the perfect punishment? What number is going to make the difference?
It's my conclusion that the sentence is largely irrelevant. For most people, there are very many good reasons not to commit crimes. I'm not going to leave here and steal a car. It's not because I'm worried about going to jail; it's not because I'm worried about the penalties. It's about the environment, the values you're in, and the circumstances.
My point was simply that in the end, if we want to understand crime and what might affect it, we have to get beyond the notion that the only reason certain people commit crimes is that they haven't been punished enough. It's a very simple equation, which is largely irrelevant. There are other factors, as I've just discussed, that are far more important.