Should Punishment Be Punished For The Crime - 1866 Words

Punishment can be described as ‘a legally approved method designed to facilitate the task of crime control’ (Garland, 1990: 18). According to the criminal justice act 2003 the aims of punishment are to punish the offender for their wrongdoing; to reduce crime; to reform and rehabilitate offenders; to protect the public and for offenders to make amends to the person/persons affected by their offences. There are many philosophical justifications as to what the purpose of punishment should be. The two most cited justifications are known as the retributivist and reductivist approaches to punishment. The retributivist approach looks at past events and states that wrongdoers should be punished for the crime they have committed, because they deserve to be punished for it. Retributivism originates form the Latin retribuo, ‘I pay back’, suggesting that an offenders punishment should be equivalent to the crime they have committed. Retributivists believe that offenders must be punished because they have carried out actions that are illegal, and that the severity of the punishment must be matched to that of the seriousness of the crime. The reductivist approach, which can also be named the utilarian approach, looks at punishment as forward looking and justifies punishment on the grounds of its alleged future consequences. For utilitarians, consequences are assessed by reference to people’s mental state or happiness. This means that punishment is not justified and to quote Bentham, ‘inShow MoreRelatedThe Death Penalty Is Justified1248 Words   |  5 PagesExecutions have occurred in many forms for thousands of years. From Roman crucifixion to American lethal injection, capital punishments have one common goal: to offer retribution to a guilty party. However, in recent years, the death penalty has come under intense scrutiny. There are a great number of people who believe it should be abolished entirely and some who believe it should be used only in the most humane ways. In this paper, I will argue that the death penalty is justifiable in cases whereRead MoreArgument Against The Death Penalty1247 Wor ds   |  5 Pagessomebody who has taken somebody else’s life is simply immoral.† When considering the issue of capital punishment, many arguments are made in favor of proponents and abolitionists. There are utilitarian arguments, retributive arguments, and egalitarian arguments. Utilitarian arguments argue against the death penalty, for they look to punish criminals for the benefit and the â€Å"lesson learned† from the punishment. They believe that this is the most effective form of deterrence, because the criminal will learnRead MoreThe Case For Death Penalty1252 Words   |  6 Pagessomebody who has taken somebody else’s life is simply immoral.† When considering the issue of capital punishment, many arguments are made in favor of proponents and abolitionists. There are utilitarian arguments, retributive arguments, and egalitarian arguments. Utilitarian arguments argue against the death penalty, for they look to punish criminals for the benefit and the â€Å"lesson learned† from the punishment. They believe that this is the most effective form of deterrence, because the criminal will learnRead MoreCapital Punishment And The Death Penalty946 Words   |  4 PagesCapital punishment, or the death penalty, is a legal sentence for the convicted to be put to death for their criminal behavior. How the convicted criminal is executed varies from state to state. I do not believe that the death penalty is justifiable in almost any instance, if any. Throughout this class, I have read and experienced confusion on my opinion of whether capital punishment can be justifiable. If there was an absolute 100% belief and proof of guilt for the most serious of crimes (murderRead MoreArgumentative Essay On The Death Penalty989 Words   |  4 PagesCapital punishment is commonly known as the Death Penalty. The Death Penalty is killing someone as a punishment for a crime through legal terms. In 2014, six hundred thirty-four people that are 18 years and older out of one thousand seventeen people were in favor of the death penalty (Gallup). We use this punishment to serve justice for the life of the victim that has been taken. I am in favor of the death penalty and it should be issued in all states for people who commit heinous crimes. The deathRead MorePunishments in Primitive Soceity852 Words   |  4 PagesPUNISHMENTS IN PRIMITIVE SOCIETIES Introduction: The most usual criteria for punishment in primitive societies is the principle of Eye for an eye. According to this principle if a person has taken the eye of another the chief orders that the eye of the criminal should be taken.Blood for blood is the ancient principle of retribution in primitive societies. Thus punishment is based on retributive principle. This is so since most of the tribal people believe that crime is a violation of divineRead MoreShould The Death Penalty Be Abolished?1443 Words   |  6 Pages 6 Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished in the United States? Adalynne Francis CRJU 1000 Dr. Huss November 14, 14 Should capital punishment/ death penalty be abolished in the United States? Many feel that the death penalty is immoral and question whether the state and federal government deserve the right to kill those whom it has imprisoned. On the other hand, those opposed feel that by not acting upon the death penalty communities would plunge in anarchy and that byRead MoreCapital Punishment : A Form Of Legal Punishment Essay1672 Words   |  7 PagesCapital punishment implies that the criminal is sentenced to death as a punishment for their crimes. Prima facie, it appears to be the most just punishment and solution to crimes that demand such severity of punishment in proportion to the offense. However, the reason why it is a moot point and a debatable issue is because ethicists see both sides of the story and there are numerous ethical issues involved with institutionalizing capital punishment. To understand the debate on capital punishment as anRead MoreMorality And Its Effect On Society1196 Words   |  5 PagesA utilitarian can prove that punishment is moral because it will reduce crime, it will give satisfaction to society, and it will deter other potential offenders. Punishment involves the deliberate infliction of suffering on an offender for a violation they caused such as a crime they did. Since punishment involves inflicting a pain or suffering to a criminal similar to an offender inflicts pain on his victim, it has generally been agreed that punishment requires moral justification. UtilitarianismRead MoreDiffering Opinions on the Controversial Death Penalty Issue Essay788 Words   |  4 PagesThe issue of capital punishment is one that has been in discussion for many years. How can anyone control the life of another human being? The accused may have taken the life of another citizen but what gives anyone the right to take his. This is the main point of the question but it gets vastly more complicated as the issue is further investigated. For instance, the psychopath who goes on a murderous rampage might have an abnormality with the frontal lobe of the cortex in his brain. Now, if