Aims of Punishment

Question 1

1. Rehabilitation or Reformation

Answer 1

• one of the primary aims is to rehabilitate the offender.
• some prisoners complete their matric in prison and become law abiding citizens when they are released back into the community.
• the general feeling is that rehabilitation remains only an ideal and that for many it is difficult to reform.

Question 2

2. Deterrence

Answer 2

• Punishment also serves as a deterrent amongst individuals and the community.
• the aim focuses on preventing specific offenders, other potential offenders and previously convicted offenders from committing crime.
• the theory entails that offenders will learn from ‘clash with the law’.
• others will learn from the experiences of former offenders and it is believed that this will have an impact on the prevention of crime.

Question 3

3. Preventative

Answer 3

• Punishment can also be directly preventative.

- the death penalty is an example

Question 4

4. Retribution

Answer 4

• The main aim of punishment from the inception of criminal law has been retribution or revenge.
• it was applied to amend the wrongs perpetrated by the offender and punishing him according to an eye for an eye

Question 5

5. Restoration

Answer 5

• Restoration may become one of the most important aims of punishment.
• Here a crime is not only treated as breaking the law and punishing the offender but focuses also on the victim.
• This is called ‘victim centered justice’.
• The south African system is mainly offender orientated