Doxc

Punishment Research Paper

Gina Williams

SOC/ 120 – Sociology

August 19, 2012

Becky Price

Introduction: This paper describes the four types of punishment; retribution,

deterrence, rehabilitation, and societal protection and how they are related to

today’s American society. It also describes which type of punishment deters crime

most effectively as well as if the consequences of punishment provide any

benefits for criminals and society.

As stated in the text, Chapter 7 of Society (p.194), retribution originated in the

Middle Age and is one the oldest justification for punishment and is an act of

moral vengeance by which society makes the offender suffer as much as the

suffering caused by the crime. Retribution was implemented to satisfy society’s

need for retribution due to crimes committed against a family member, or for

theft of property. Deterrence is the attempt to discourage criminality through the

use of punishment. Deterrence is a type of punishment that emerged as a reform

measure in response to harsh punishment based on retribution. This type of

punishment replaced execution, and physical mutilation of criminals with milder

forms of punishment such as imprisonment. Punishment may deter crime in two

ways such as specific deterrence and general deterrence. Specific deterrence

convinces an individual that crime does not pay, whereas, general deterrence,

punishing one person serves as an example to others. Rehabilitation is a program

for reforming the offender to prevent later offences. This type of punishment

occurred with societal sciences in the nineteenth-century. Like deterrence,

rehabilitation motivates the offender to conform. Deterrence and retribution

simply make the offender suffer, whereas rehabilitation...