By killing every tenth soldier almost all would have friends (or at least acquaintances) who would have died, so they would realize the seriousness of the crime. It would also leave a very bad name for the person who did commit the crime. The effects of committing such a crime were assured death, a bad name, and also the death of 10% of your unit, where as fighting in battle one could at least withstand a chance of survival, and therefore most soldiers opted for fighting (Wary, 28).

             The Roman Army"s rules made sure all of their soldiers were attentive and that none fell asleep on duty. In the Roman Army if one of the soldiers was found falling asleep on duty, they were made to sleep outside the safety of the camp where the enemy army could capture them or kill them with ease (Deary, 20). The soldier"s fear of the consequences of committing such a "crime" made sure all were attentive so no one would miss instructions given by the generals. They would therefore all proceed into war with full knowledge of what was going on, and not blindly following what everyone else was doing. This punishment also made sure many other soldiers were aware of the crime and punishment, and therefore prevented others from doing the same. Also, the punishment served as a training to make the soldier pay attention. While outside the safety of the camp, the soldier must pay attention in order to survive, and therefore learns to stay alert and attentive at all times (Sumner). .

             The Roman Army"s enforced strong laws that demanded all young men in the conquered lands to fight in the Roman Army. Anyone who tried to escape this fate of serving the Roman army would immediately receive decapitation (Deary, 20). This rule made sure no one tried to escape the fate of the Roman Army draft. Most would prefer possible death in the army than assured death through decapitation. Fear of such a gruesome death kept most men in line and highly encouraged them to join the Roman Army.