Purposes Of Punishemnt - Justice

Question 1

Deterrence Definition

Answer 1

• people are punished for a crime in the hope it will stop others or that punished off committing the same crime e.g prison or electric tagging

Question 2

Deterrence benefits and drawbacks

Answer 2

+people will avoid doing wrong as put off
+pre-emptive better than retribution as put off crime before it happens
+cab reduce crime if it works
-crimes are spur of the moment and offenders don’t usually think of consequences in the moment
- wether it is right for society to use someone as an example and punish them harshly just to warn others

Question 3

Deterrence non religious

Answer 3

Humanists - believe that punishments such as the death penalty do not seem to deter crime e.g US states with the death penalty have 28% more homicides.
Humanists - more crime is committed in very unequal societies where some groups are discriminated against or feel they have little to loose
Utilitarian - may support deterrence if it works to reduce crime and therefore create more happiness

Question 4

Deterrence religious

Answer 4

Christian -belive they should forgive sins of others, in the same way they believe God forgives them for their sins. Believe in justice and therefore Christians believe that criminals should be treated justly

Question 5

Reform definition

Answer 5

• when part of the punishment is learning what has been done wrong and persuading the criminal not to do this again. e.g rehabilitation for prisoners with addiction and education for prisoners

Question 6

Reform benefits and drawbacks

Answer 6

+if it works you wouldn’t re-offend
+ won’t leave prison wanting to get revenge on society might come out feeling grateful
+society protected
- expensive to run reformative treatments possibility of money being wasted to
- is prison is about reformation it might become a nice cushy place - won’t protect society when they leave

Question 7

Reform non-religious

Answer 7

Humanist - believe the justice system is there to protect people from harm therefore reforming a criminal would logically lead to both protecting the public and to reform a criminal would contain a form of deterrence as they wouldn’t do it again
Utilitarian - may support as good outcome for society and criminal

Question 8

Reform religious

Answer 8

Christian - support reformative punishments because they believe that everyone can change for the better no matter what they have done.

Question 9

Retribution definition

Answer 9

• this can be viewed in two ways.
  1 revenge : getting back at someone for what they have done
  2 restoration : making the offender pay back for what has been done e.g community service

Ghandi “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”

Question 10

Retribution benefits and drawbacks

Answer 10

+release of anger ( help victims family’s)
+ deterrent values e.g less likely yo graffiti if you have spent 100hrs cleaning it
+shows you won’t be the victim if crime without issuing a pay back
- when does the cycle of revenge end?
- examples of people who have been executed or imprisoned when further proof has come they are guilty
- does issuing the same punishment really make the victim feel better

Question 11

Retribution non religious

Answer 11

Humanists - seek to break the cycle of hate and revenge and this can be achieved through punishments that are just and allow the criminal to reform
Utilitarian - brings out more suffering for not only the criminal but for their families cannot undo what has already happened but can prevent more suffering

Question 12

Retribution religious

Answer 12

Christian - Old Testament says “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24;25) which seems to justify retribution as a punishment. However the New Testament says “ if anyone slaps you on the right cheeks turn to them the other cheeck also” ( Mathew 5:38-39) meaning forgiveness is more important than retribution

Question 13

Protection - definition

Answer 13

-punishment should protect society from the criminal and the criminal from themselves e.g murderers being locked up for life and the death penalty

Question 14

Protection - benefits and drawbacks

Answer 14

+ offender in prison can’t commit again
+ if offender punished hopefully out of committing ever again
+ everyone happier apart from criminal (main point)
- offender needs to be released at some point and if hasn’t changed may commit again
- prisoner could come out worse after being enclosed with other prisoners
- prisoner may become more resentful and angry at society

Question 15

Protection - non religious

Answer 15

Utilitarian - agree with protection as it and to protect society and therefore would create greatest happiness/good for everyone. Can also involve protecting the offender from society

Question 16

Protection - religious

Answer 16

Christian - strong should protect the weak. Need to protect innocent people from harm but also need to protect criminals from doing harm to themselves