It is there from birth, and doesn't leave until death. The public has been convinced that the electric chair really doesn't work, and that to be merciful we must sentence our worst offenders to living their lives out in prisons. The heck we do. Let a few thousand of them face the actual electric chair and watch the recidivism rates plummet. It's a real simple concept, actually.
People hate to die.
We fight it- spend countless millions of dollars in vitamins and potions and spas in an effort to avoid the final bell's tolling. Crime rates are low in foreign countries. In the Middle East, if you are caught stealing they cut off your hand. Maybe, but very effective. Japan also has swift punishment for criminals, as do other Asian nations.