Just because one's actions are predetermined, doesn't mean he or she shouldn't be locked up if their actions are a danger to society.
shareIf hard determinism is true, then it precisely means a lack of responsibility. Your agency and all the qualities that make you rational or irrational or violent or not violent aren't of your own doing. This implies that all praise for do-gooding and all blame for wrong-doing is erroneous.
I agree with you that people should be segregated if they're a threat to society, but it should never be on the grounds of punishment. Punishing someone for doing exactly what they were always going to do seems silly. That's why rehabilitative sentencing is better than punitive.
This is assuming of course that hard determinism is true
But as soon as we discover this deterministic pattern, we can realize that we can be the cause for others not to do, for a example, a crime.
If we decide we dont want to live in a world with a lot of crimes and punish the criminals we have created the cause for fear of prison in potential future criminals. Of course in a deterministic world they wouldnt be responsible for their actions, but through knowledge we can create causes and make the world a better place for us.
I really try to avoid the word "choose", because we dont really choose to create cause. Knowledge is our cause to create cause.
I like to imagine it as an evolving global (or universal) consciousness that makes the universe a better place for itself, acting inside the rules of its own deterministic prison. I think that is something the quote "Knowledge determines the future" (not sure anymore, if "future" or "destiny" - not important) reflects.
I hope I managed to make my thoughts understandable. English is not my mother language, so sorry if that sounds like rubbish to you. :)
But if you believe in determinism then there would be no point discussing this, because it would already be determined whether you are going to punish them or not
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