As any law student who’s studied criminal law will tell you, there are four traditional rationales for punishment: retribution (giving someone their just deserts), deterrence (preventing harm in the future), rehabilitation (transforming someone into a better person through punishment), and incapacitation (keeping a person away from society so they don’t hurt others). In discussions of criminal justice policy, these rationales are very often mixed up and conflated, which produces incoherent discussions.
Four rationales for punishment
Four rationales for punishment
Four rationales for punishment
As any law student who’s studied criminal law will tell you, there are four traditional rationales for punishment: retribution (giving someone their just deserts), deterrence (preventing harm in the future), rehabilitation (transforming someone into a better person through punishment), and incapacitation (keeping a person away from society so they don’t hurt others). In discussions of criminal justice policy, these rationales are very often mixed up and conflated, which produces incoherent discussions.