[ExI] What is Grace?

[Gordon Swobe]

--- On Tue, 3/17/09, Stefano Vaj <stefano.vaj at gmail.com> wrote:

> In fact, "to deter" means to make a threat
> credible enough to dissuade somebody from a given conduct. 

According to Webster Online:

"de·ter  
Pronunciation: \di-ˈtər, dē-\ 
Function: transitive verb 
Inflected Form(s): de·terred; de·ter·ring 
Etymology: Latin deterrēre, from de- + terrēre to frighten — more at terror 
Date: circa 1547 
1 : to turn aside, discourage, or prevent from acting <she would not be deterred by threats>"

I use thee word in all three senses: to turn aside, to discourage, to prevent from acting. 

> Now, suspension is not much of a threat

Right, but it does 'prevent [the guilty party] from acting'. In that way suspension deters crime. It prevents the criminal from re-offending.

But as I mentioned to Lee, it may not deter an innocent from committing a first offense, for exactly the reason you cite: it's not much of a threat. Some might even view it as a reward. 

-gts