Role of Punishment in Crime Control & Prevention

Question 1

punishment - changing form

Answer 1

from public infliction of pain/suffering to private forms of punishment (imprisonment)
public punishment was a public demonstration of state power/control

Question 2

punishment - postmodernist (foucalt)

Answer 2

public punishment declined due to emergence of disciplinary power:
criminals disciplined/controlled by surveillance from the idea of disciplinary mechanism of the panopticon
(central tower surrounded by cells for prisoners)
uncertainty of surveillance encouraged internalisation of self-survielince through self-discipline/control

Question 3

punishment - marxist (rushce & kiroheimer)

Answer 3

punishments is part of social control & class domination
punishment changed because of economic interests of the dominant class
criminals used as cheap labour in prisons due to labour shortage

Question 4

punishment - functionalist approaches; durkheim

Answer 4

people have a value consensus that leads to collective conscience expressed through laws
breaking them means violating the collective conscience

Question 5

punishment - functionalist; what does retribution do?

Answer 5

• establish right & wrong behaviour
• reinforces social regulation, control & order
• builds social solidarity & cohesion

Question 6

punishment - criticisms of functionalist

Answer 6

• ignores inequalities in wealth/power

- punishment can threaten social order as it makes more crime

Question 7

punishment - marxist approaches

Answer 7

laws are an expression of ruling-class ideology 
unequal distribution of power = unequal distribution of punishment

Question 8

punishment - marxist; repressive state apparatus

Answer 8

parts of the state that repressively keep a population in line
police, prison, court
way of social control of the working-class to reinforce ruling-class power

Question 9

punishment - marxists; working-class disadvantaged

Answer 9

CJS is directed against the disadvantaged in society as they are mostly punished 
working-class crime is always highlighted as it diverts attention away from white-collar & corporate crime

Question 10

punishment - does imprisonment prevent crime

Answer 10

there is no convincing evidence that putting more people in prison reduces crime

Question 11

punishment - statistics of prisoners reoffending

Answer 11

ministry of justice
47% reoffend within a year of being released
70% juveniles

Question 12

punishment - why do prisoners reoffend?

Answer 12

• had a chaotic childhood
• unemployed
• have a mental illness
  criminal label becomes master label making it difficult to transition back to society successfully