I wouldn't mind if your given a choice of 40 lashes vs. prison time. I would definitely take a temporary few days of pain over years or weeks of my life wasted in the psychological torture known as prison.
If you can't see that comparing welts on your butt for a week vs. lopping off a hand is hyperbolic, then I doubt that you're coming into this in good faith.
Harsh punishments do work, when you apply them consistently and early on. While you may think that being caned is harsh, most people I've talked to would prefer to be caned over a month in prison.
Singapore's use of the death penalty is a fairly good example. Kidnapping is a capitol offense -- consequently you see young kids walking around the Singapore alone and taking buses on their own.
Forgive me, for wanting to see an actual study instead of taking an internet commenter's assertion over the efficacy of "harsh punishments." Especially since "welts on your butt" is a gross mischaracterization[-1][-2]
The consensus among criminologists is that capital punishment isn't a deterrent.[0] That's why capital punishment advocates rely on emotional arguments around punitive and revenge. And a counter anecdote, you can see children playing and navigating cities alone in The Netherlands and across Europe, and none of those countries have capital punishment.
Furthermore, crime is actually at historic lows.[1] In fact, it's categorically safer now, than it was when you were a kid, or when your parents were kids. Thirdly, kidnappings occur primarily by estranged parents, and is also lower now than ever.[2] Pedobear in the van with "FREE KANDEE!" scrawled on the side in crayon is exceptionally rare. If your kid wants to ride the bus alone, you totally should let them. It's a fun, safe, adventure. In fact, kids do it the United States every day.[3]
While I agree with the downvoting of this comment for the primitive perspective, I do also agree with the sentiment. Prison time does very little to change people and makes them more likely to re-offend.
What matters is repaying the "debt" to society. Hard to do when a year in prison can cost more to the taxpayer than a year at Harvard.