REOFFENDING AFTER PUNISHMENT

Factors in Reduced Re-Offending after Punishment

Factors in Reduced Re-Offending after Punishment

1) Critically Evaluate the Psychological Literature Examine the Impact of Punishment

Punishment could be defined as the action taken by those in authority against those whose acts contravene regulations. By definition, punishment must be something that one does not want to happen to oneself and generally contains two elements - retribution and deterrence. Retribution is the idea that if you commit an offence, you must be made to suffer in proportion to that offence. (Robinson & Crow, 2009, p.14)

If punishment is to succeed in curbing offending behaviour, it must be both certain and of a nature that ensures that the individual being punished does not want to receive that punishment again, and that the person's peers take note of what has happened and think about whether they would wish to commit the same offence. I have deliberately not used the words law and crime above as punishments can be applied in the home, in schools, the workplace, clubs and private groups and within society as a whole - in fact, anywhere that has rules governing the behaviour of it members. (Robinson & Crow, 2009, p.19)

In Britain, we are still a punishment based society and yet the punishments that we apply are generally ineffective and unclear to the majority of the population. It is impossible to say in most cases what punishment the courts will impose for a given crime and it is likely to vary considerably in different parts of the country. This is very dangerous as well as being unjust. If people do not know with certainty what will happen to them, how are they supposed to be deterred? It is reasonable to suggest that only in the cases of murder and drink driving would most people be able to say what sentence the court would impose. (Matthews & Young, 2003, p.229)

Where the offender can actually be caught, they will often receive a non-custodial punishment, but this can still destroy their reputation and self esteem or their regard for authority and may also affect their employability. (Joseph, 2000, p.11)

Punishment is popular with the law abiding members of most societies and when crime rises, there is pressure on the legislature for more severe punishments. Surveys show that capital punishment enjoys wide spread popular support in many democratic countries. Corporal punishment and longer and harsher prison terms equally tend to enjoy support in many countries even if their governments will not permit such things. Is this because we are all sadists or because we are afraid of being victims? Are we conditioned by the media to see ever harsher punishments as some sort of panacea to cure crime? (Robinson & Crow, 2009, p.21)

Yet there is little evidence to show that punishment, however harsh, actually works in reducing crime. In Britain, the maximum penalty available to the courts for most adult crimes is surprisingly severe but the actual sentences the offenders receive are usually a fraction of that maximum and ...