The purpose of punishment

[hmkpoker]

If someone commits an evil act and is accordingly punished, what should the predominant purpose of his punishment be?

Justice: Giving someone what they deserve. Evil deeds deserve suffering, good deeds deserve reward.

Correction: Helping someone correct their poor behavior. A delinquent is sentenced to a correctional facility where they will help him become a more functional, happier member of society.

Deterrant: Preventing others from committing the same crime. People avoid doing something if they are aware of the unfavorable consequences.


What if one is in conflict with another?

FWIW, my favorite quotation from Nietzsche has always been, "Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful."

Not that this helps you much.

[Olof]

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Deterrant: Preventing others from committing the same crime. People avoid doing something if they are aware of the unfavorable consequences.

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I think this is only a positive side effect that shouldn't constitute a motive for punishment. If it is wrong to punish someone for the actions of other people, it certainly doesn't seem right to punish him for potential future actions of other people.

[DougShrapnel]

Revenge, Restituation, Removal, could be added. Correction is justice. And deterrance isn't as effective as it could be.

[BigSoonerFan]

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Deterrant: Preventing others from committing the same crime. People avoid doing something if they are aware of the unfavorable consequences.

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I think this is only a positive side effect that shouldn't constitute a motive for punishment. If it is wrong to punish someone for the actions of other people, it certainly doesn't seem right to punish him for potential future actions of other people.

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He didn't mention that it is also meant for the person who committed the crime. How often is the same crime repeated?

[hmkpoker]

Good call on revenge (that's a BIG one, and imho closely related to justice), and restitution. Removal is also there, although it refers only to certain kinds of punishment.

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Correction is justice.

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Not necessarily. If someone murders someone else, it should seem just that he suffer accordingly in a prison. However, the most effective correctional method may be something like therapy or rehab or something that's not particularly brutal. If this is the case, then it might seem unjust that a murderer gets off with a few years of productive therapy, and it certainly doesn't satisfy the revenge desire.

However, we may hold different ideas of "justice." Personally, I hate the term.

[DougShrapnel]

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revenge (that's a BIG one, and imho closely related to justice)

[/ QUOTE ] Revenge is no where close to justice. But the two are used synonymously at times.

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Not necessarily. If someone murders someone else, it should seem just that he suffer accordingly in a prison.

[/ QUOTE ] Yes necessarliy in all cases, without exception. Correction is always just. I'm not saying there is nothing more to justice than correction.

Why should he suffer? Either kill him, or correct him, or remove him, suffering is bad in all cases for any reason.

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and it certainly doesn't satisfy the revenge desire.

[/ QUOTE ] Yes, the revenge desire is only destructive in this dayy and age's criminal system.

[DougShrapnel]

There is an old saying "If you remove the phrase 'I have been injured, you remove the injury'" Well I call BS on that. Instead If you remove the injury, or the injurors ability to injure, you have removed the injury. Change in action is the only acceptable restitution for injury that isn't negotiable, or debateable.

[hmkpoker]

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Yes necessarliy in all cases, without exception. Correction is always just. I'm not saying there is nothing more to justice than correction.

Why should he suffer? Either kill him, or correct him, or remove him, suffering is bad in all cases for any reason.

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What is your definition of justice? I get the feeling that we have the same idea, but are using different ways to express it.

[Trantor]

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revenge (that's a BIG one, and imho closely related to justice)

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Justice should have absolutely nothing to do with revenge. Justice in the sense you are using it, ie state imposed sentences against criminal acts, is a matter of the state imposing sentence.Revenge is a personal matter concerning the victims of crime and in my view should be divorced from considerations of what are appropriate for various crimes.