The Aim of Punishment

What are the four categories that the aims of punishment can be put into?

• Deterrence

• Incapacitation

• Rehabilitation

• Retribution

What is Deterrence?

Primary aim is to discourage the general population from engaging in criminal behaviour by using the punished individuals as an example

• focuses on discouraging the punished individual from committing future crimes by making the punishment unpleasant enough to deter them personally

What is Incapacitation?

To protect society from the offender by physically removing them from the community

What is Rehabilitation?

Aims to reform and reintegrate the offender into society as a law-abiding citizen

What is Retribution?

Based on the concept of ‘pay back’ - idea that the punishment should be proportionate to the severity of the crime committed

• expressed in religious texts such as the Bible and Qur’an as ‘an eye for an eye’