Unit 4 Topic 4 - Punishment in Society

Question 1

Describe the aims of punishment

Answer 1

Retribution - offenders are punished in order to give us revenge
Deterrence – discourage offenders from criminal behaviour or prevent reoffending
Rehabilitation – reform offender’s behaviour
Incapacitation – remove criminals from society

Question 2

Provide examples of how each aim of punishment is used

Answer 2

Retribution – life sentences
Deterrence – mandatory custodial sentences for certain offences
Rehabilitation – community orders
Incapacitation – maximum security custodial sentences

Question 3

Provide examples of the types of crime each aim punishes

Answer 3

Retribution - Murder
Deterrence –Theft
Rehabilitation – Drug possession
Incapacitation – Sexual offences

Question 4

Provide three limitations of Retribution

Answer 4

• Minimum mandatory sentences can sometimes not take into consideration the context of the offence - cannot go any lower than the minimum sentence
• Focus on revenge leads to enthusiastic wrongful convictions
• Disintegrative shaming – makes it hard for someone to be reintegrated into the community

Question 5

Provide three limitations of Deterrence

Answer 5

• Recidivism rates are high. 2017 UK stats (gov.uk) showed 63% of people who served custodial sentences of less than 12 months offended again within the year
• Assumes rational thinking – this may not be true eg. crimes that are emotionally driven
• Doesn’t change people’s sense of morality as some hold different morals and values due to upbringing

Question 6

Provide three limitations of Rehabilitation

Answer 6

• Recidivism rates are high. 2017 UK stats (gov.uk) showed a recidivism rate of 29% for all sentences.
• Can lead to early releases of offenders who commit very serious crimes - too compassionate
• Expensive – takes a lot of resources to do this

Question 7

Provide three limitations of Incapacitation

Answer 7

• It costs on average £30 - £40,000 to keep someone in prison for a year – we currently have a prison population of 80,000
• It assumes that the past dictates your future – no capacity for change
• It does not address the causes of crime – it is purely instrumental

Question 8

What sociological theory does Retribution link to?

Answer 8

Functionalism

Punishment reinforces what’s right and wrong and allows for social cohesion

Question 9

What sociological theory does Deterrence link to?

Answer 9

Right Realism
Punishment is needed to deter people from making the choice to commit crime, or deter them from committing additional crime in the future

Question 10

What sociological theory does Rehabilitation link to?

Answer 10

Left realism
Criminals should be given the opportunity to be rehabilitated as crime is caused by marginalisation of lower classes and relative deprivation

Question 11

What sociological theory does Incapacitation link to?

Answer 11

Lombroso’s theory
They believe that crime is something biological that cannot be changed so the only way to protect society is to move them away from society

Question 12

Describe Imprisonment as a form of punishment

Answer 12

Imprisonment is when an offender is sent to prison for committing a crime. It involves sentences such as a Determinate Sentence, Life Sentence, Indeterminate Sentence and Suspended Sentence

Question 13

Explain which aims of punishment imprisonment tries to meet

Answer 13

Retribution, Deterrence, Rehabilitation, Incapacitation

Question 14

Explain Imprisonment and Retribution

Answer 14

Prison takes away an individual’s liberty - they take away an individual’s sense of freedom and agency

However, a sentence length and the conditions of a prison make it difficult to determine whether the punishment fits the crime eg. the average time served in prison for a life sentence in UK is just 17 years. Average sentence for an indictable offence is 58 months

Question 15

Explain Imprisonment and Deterrence

Answer 15

The threat of going to prison and the ramifications of being convicted of a crime acts as a general deterrent against committing crime

Prisons only work as an effective deterrent if people are:
Rational-thinking when they commit crimes
Actually scared about prison life

Question 16

Explain Imprisonment and Rehabilitation

Answer 16

All prisons offer a range of schemes and programmes to help rehabilitate offenders and give them the opportunities to reintegrate into society e.g. Education programmes, Drug rehabilitation

Recidivism rates are high - most prisons do not have the resources to offer them to enough of their prisoners. 0.5% of prisoners get the opportunity for day release training each month

Question 17

Explain Imprisonment and Incapacitation

Answer 17

In theory, putting people in prison gets them away from the public, and while under such strict surveillance, prisoners are prevented from committing more crimes

Some consider prisons as ‘universities of crime’ due to Gangs in prison and Radicalisation growing in prison

Question 18

Describe the following forms of Community sentences

Answer 18

Community sentences are for minor offences, but not so minor that a fine or discharge will suffice eg. Assault or vandalism

Normally involves Between 40 and 300 hours of community payback, a curfew or a tag

Question 19

Explain Community sentences and Retribution

Answer 19

Community sentences unlike imprisonment is a visible, out in the open punishment – you are not hidden away

Like prisons, they take away elements of your freedom – forced into unpaid work, have to meet curfews and possibly have restrictions on where you can go

Question 20

Explain Community sentences and Rehabilitation

Answer 20

Community sentences offer opportunities for anger management and drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation, as well as training for future job prospects

However as of 2017 just 8% of offenders receive a community order