Definitions of Punishment

What are punishments?

Punishments are the actions taken in response to crime by the authorities or ruling group in any society.

What are the different sorts of punishment?

There are 5 main methods a society might decide to use to punish its members for crime:

• ❖ Capital punishment.
• ❖ Corporal punishment.
• ❖ Mutilation.
• ❖ Imprisonment or incarceration.
• ❖ Fines.

What type of punishment is capital punishment?

Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is when a criminal is executed, usually for treason or very severe crimes. It is not a legal punishment in Great Britain today.

What is corporal punishment?

Corporal punishment is the infliction of physical pain on the body.

What is mutilation as a punishment?

Mutilation was a severe form of punishment in the past. It would involve disfiguring parts of the criminal's body, such as cutting off a hand, ear or the nose, or even putting out the eyes.

What is imprisonment as a punishment?

Imprisonment involves holding criminals in captivity and keeping them entirely separate from the rest of the population.

What are fines as a punishment?

Fines are a demand for financial or other form of material payment from the criminal.

What was the purpose of punishment?

Punishments have 5 different purposes.

• ❖ Reform.
• ❖ Retribution.
• ❖ Deterrence.
• ❖ Removal.
• ❖ Humiliation.

What is reform as an aim of punishment?

Some punishments aim to reform the criminal, changing the person so they are no longer at risk of committing crime. This is sometimes called rehabilitation.

What is retribution as an aim of punishment?

Retribution is the notion a person should pay for what they did. It is about society having vengeance.

What is deterrence as an aim of punishment?

Historically, some punishments were severe and frightening enough to deter - or prevent - people from committing the same crimes in future.

What is removal as an aim of punishment?

Removal involves taking the criminal out of society so they can no longer cause a nuisance or threat. This might be through a temporary method such as imprisonment or a permanent one like the death penalty.

What is humiliation as an aim of punishment?

Some punishments in history would happen in public. This was to humiliate the offender, shaming them in front of others and ultimately deterring others from committing crimes.