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In most engineering disciplines, some degree of fault is permissible and is accounted for

That is my understanding as well, but some degree of fault is also impermissible and people must be held to account for those kinds of fault.

You can't punish people into being better programmers. Things don't work that way. I know that it's popular to believe that companies improve productivity by beating their employees, but that doesn't work in practice.

As a thought exercise, replace “programmers/employees/companies” with “criminals/inmates/prisons” in your argument and you will see parallels with modern law enforcement.

Law enforcement embraces rehabilitation, prevention, and other mechanisms as well as simple punishment.

Seems rather disingenuous to make a claim that negative reinforcement doesn’t work, vis-a-vis not having to be in jail.

Jails shouldn't be for punishment. They should be for protecting society from people who can't live by the rules. Punitive prison sentences are uncivilized.

Besides, pickpockets used to be hanged. Didn't stop them.

His self-interest makes his position understandable. Why, programming is just as real as other engineering, except for those nasty consequences for gross negligence, such as using the C/C++ languages or garbage similar to them.

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