PUNISHMENT PHILOSOPHY

Punishment Philosophy

Punishment Philosophy

Every society has its own laws and customs defining the acceptable and unacceptable behavior and actions. Social control emphasize on aligning the behavior and actions of individuals to the norms, laws, and mores of the society. Main objective of punishment philosophies is to discourage destructive and violating behavior, infringement of laws in civil, social, relational, or in any other context causing harm to the other person or negative to the acceptable norm of society.

Punishment sanctions have been defined in judicial model pertaining to severity of crime and the context in which action was exhibited. These sanctions are categorized in punishment philosophies dimensions of retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation (Miethe & Lu, 2005). Each has its own implication in different context both for the offenders and society.

Retribution refers to deserved punishment if an individual infringe on the rights of others. It is essential to balance the punishment sanction with the gravity of crime. Retribution basically addresses the form of vengeance under which state has the right to justify the offence of a person with judicial punishment (Zaibert, 2006). It is necessary to lower the extent of crime in society and also put an imposition on the actions of offenders. In certain circumstances purpose of offence justifies the actions of offender; in that case retribution punishment theory will not justify the judicial actions. It is essential to consider the context in which crime and offensive behavior has been depicted.

Deterrence punishment concerns with preventing the offensive actions to discourage repeating offensive behavior. This takes precedence over retribution punishment philosophy as it restricts the offender from involving in further offensive behavior through detention and imprisonment for a specific period (Miethe & Lu, 2005). This approach also helps set an example for the society regarding the outcome of involvement in ...