2.2- aims of punishment Flashcards
(23 cards)
what is retribution
inflict punishment as revenge
3 concepts to describe retribution
‘just desserts’ is a concept that states that society is entitled to take revenge
‘an eye for an eye’ punishment should be on scale with offence
uses sentencing to express moral outrage
how would retribution punish
fixed penalty for offences, proportional to the crime and regardless of facts
link retribution to a theory
right realism states offenders have a rational conscious to commit crime, so should be punished
limitation of retribution
gives offenders no chance to make amends or rehabilitate
what is public protection
protects public from further offences by incapacitating offenders
what punishment supports public protection
custodial sentences remove physical capacity
link public protection with a theory
lombroso argues criminals are biologically different- so rather than rehabilitate, incapacitate
what is a criticism of public protection
unjust as it means imprisoning people on the assumption they cannot be rehabilitated and will reoffend
what is rehabilitation
punishment used to reform offenders
what is an example of punishment to rehabilitate
education programs in prison to help future unemployment
link rehabilitation to a theory
Cognitive theories support that CBT can correct offenders thinking to stop recidivism
what is a criticism of rehabilitation
Right realism argus that it has limited success, as people still reoffend. This means it may be more effective to take a zero tolerance approach
what is reparation
where offenders make amends for their wrong
example of punishment that meets reparation
financial compensation or unpaid work
what is a restorative justice scheme in regards to reparation
this brings offenders and victims together to see impact of their actions and understand how they have caused harm
link reparation to a theory
labelling theory supports this aim as it acts to integrate offenders through them showing remorse and understanding their wrongs
a criticism of reparation
not every victim will want to face an offender when looking at restorative justice, such as rape, so it cannot always be used
what is deterrence
when harsh punishments put people off from committing a crime
what is individual deterrence
deters the offender from reoffending
what is general deterrence
deters society through fear of punishment
link a theory to deterrence
rational choice theory states that severe punishment deters offenders, as it is taken into consideration when weighing up pros and cons
criticism of deterrence
half of all prisoners reoffend within a year, so any deterrence in place is not effective
