The 'Wrong' Deterrent

In these days of 'populist politics'
it is easy for the public to be persuaded
that a strong deterrent stops a crime
therefore the risk of an error in justice
is worth the deterrence of a strong sentence.

But wait, when I was in school
I remember when boys did wrong
and knew what they were doing,
and denied it to the very last.

Even when they were one of whole class
detained until the teacher was satisfied
that for all the outright denial of the class
the culprit was still well punished.

I do hope class detention for doing wrong
when most of us had done nothing, 
and those who did it could deny it,
was never meant to be
our first lesson in democracy.