StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Goals of Punishment - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
In other words, the main purpose for punishment is deterrence, so that individuals get to understand the harm they have caused and desist from doing so again. While…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER95.3% of users find it useful
Goals of Punishment
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Goals of Punishment"

The goal of punishing individuals for offenses they commit is to ensure that they do not repeat the same offense. In other words, the main purpose for punishment is deterrence, so that individuals get to understand the harm they have caused and desist from doing so again. While this has often been the case, in many instances, those who are punished, for example by being sent to prison, tend to end up committing the same offenses for which they had been convicted. To ensure that crime of all kinds are deterred, new and innovative ways have been developed to punish individuals who break the law and endanger public safety.

Among these have been punishments aimed at shaming individuals into avoiding to commit crimes which they had committed before (Word, 2007). An example of these shaming punishments has been the requirement for first time DUI offenders to wear a yellow license plate when they are on suspension. This requirement has ensured that the rates of imprisonment for DUI offenders, which takes a huge chunk off state budgets, have been reduced. It has been found that this is the most cost effective way for the achievement of deterrence as well as the satisfaction for the demands of retribution.

While this requirement had been legislated in the 1960s; it was rarely used until the state of Ohio declared it mandatory for all those found committing the DUI offense. One would say that this is a reasonable punishment because it achieves the goal of punishing the individual through being exposed to the public throughout his or her suspension period. The shame derived from this exposure ensures that the individual involved does not repeat the same offense. In fact, the fear of going through the same experience for a second time will act as deterrence from committing future offenses.

This measure has seen a level of success in the last few years as seen through the reduction of the number of restricted number plates from over 10000 in the first year of it implementation to 5270 a year later.In the New York area of Bronx, the most frequently used method of deterrence to crime is the stop and frisk method. This is the case where police officers stop anyone whom they suspect of having criminal intentions and searching them. Despite the good intentions that were intended when this practice was instituted, it has come to be extremely unpopular with the residents, especially those from minority groups.

Statistics show that while African Americans only make up 23% of New Yorkers, they are the victims of 53% of the stop and frisk program. This is because a majority of the people stopped tends to be from minorities and the police officers often use force against them if they display any sign of resistance (MacDonald, 2013). While this practice was considered to be the best way to deter crime in the Bronx, it seems not to be as effective as thought because a majority of those people stopped have not been found with anything suspicious on them.

In fact, in only 10% of the did the officers report doing so due to the suspicion of violent activity from the individuals.In conclusion, while humiliation can be an effective form of punishment and deterrence, it has to be strictly managed to ensure that the rights of individuals are not infringed. While thismethod seems to work in cases of DUI in the state of Ohio, in New York, it has come to have the opposite effect. In Ohio, the program has the support of the community with a minimal number of dissenting voices.

In New York, however, this practice, especially that of stop and frisk, has come under intense criticism, since the police officers involved are considered to be discriminatory in their selection of the so called suspicious characters.ReferencesMacDonald, H. (Jan 24 2013) "Courts v. Cops." Wall Street Journal Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324039504578259960385659952.html.Word, R. (Nov 04 2007). "Better than Jail Time? some Judges Try Unusual Sentences; several Jurists Think Public Humiliation -- Usually Making the Offender Stand Outside with a Sign -- is a More Effective Punishment.

" Los Angeles Times: Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2007/nov/04/news/adna-sentences4

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Goals of Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words”, n.d.)
Goals of Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/law/1613464-goals-of-punishment
(Goals of Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words)
Goals of Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words. https://studentshare.org/law/1613464-goals-of-punishment.
“Goals of Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/law/1613464-goals-of-punishment.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Goals of Punishment

Introduction to Criminal Justice

The four main Goals of Punishment are general deterrence, specific deterrence, incapacitation, and retribution.... A punishment is deemed effective when, as much as possible, the offender is being punished immediately after the offense, the offenders are well-informed as to why they are being punished, there is consistency in the implementation of punishment, and there exist a strong and healthy relationship between the criminal and the punisher.... Generally, punishment in the United...
3 Pages (750 words) Coursework

Crime and Society, the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution

Do the different requirements achieve the goals of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution?... As such, the goals of the fourth amendment are to ensure the reasonableness of search and seizures conducted by law enforcement officers and to require law enforcement officers to get warrants in particular situations.... With regards to the rules on home search and seizure, these appear to satisfy the goals of the fourth amendment by requiring the use of warrants for searches and seizures as the general rule but providing exceptions to make room for the fulfillment of law enforcement duties....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

The Use of Punishment to Change Behavior

The paper "The Use of punishment to Change Behavior" discusses that as undergraduates studied new and extra compound behaviors, they were permitted formerly prohibited rights: visits in seclusion by associates and relations, managed trips outside the borders.... (Bauman, 1996)punishment's Side EffectsPunishment has side effects.... According to Sidman (1989), the changes that occur in people who are punished and, what is even more vital, the changes that occur in those who do the punishing, lead to the finale that punishment is a most injudicious, unwanted, and fundamentally destructive way of controlling conduct....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Total confinement

Secondly, prison wardens and the administrators are at liberty to exercise high-handedness in their effort to exalt punishment on or in management of inmates (Rhodes, 2004).... The segregation policy is designed to inflict punishment upon the prisoners and safeguard them from causing self-harm or injury to others....
5 Pages (1250 words) Term Paper

Three Main Components

hellip; l justice is of great importance to any democratic society and America entrusts the criminal justice system with the role of ensuring justice for all as well as maintaining law & order thorough fair administration of the Goals of Punishment.... Criminal justice is of great importance to any democratic society and America entrusts the criminal justice system with the role of ensuring justice for all as well as maintaining law & order thorough fair administration of the Goals of Punishment....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

6TH AMENDMENT REGARDING LAW ENFORCEMENT

This is because jailed individuals as well as their families receive support at the expense of the public, those free in the society could engage in other criminal activities or bargain for sentences which are not just as per society expectations and delays may hinder deterrence & rehabilitation which are crucial Goals of Punishment....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Alternative Ways of Helping Women Who Have Been Released From Prison

There are many Goals of Punishment.... nbsp; Another goal of punishment is deterrence; it is anticipated that being punished will dissuade that individual offender from offending again and will be a lesson to the rest of the community not to take on in the same criminal behaviour.... The third goal of punishment or sentencing, particularly involving incarceration is that of incapacitation.... Upon conviction, punishment is doled out to the offender....
11 Pages (2750 words) Research Proposal

Criminal Justice System and Its Reducing Risk of Criminal Behaviour

nbsp;… Deterrence refers to the use of punishment to discourage people from offending or re-offending.... However, a major policy question regards the effectiveness of punishment in preventing crime in society.... First, when the authorities increase the certainty of punishment, potential offenders may be deterred from the fear of being apprehended.... ver the years, criminological research has shown that, overall, increasing the certainty of punishment generates more deterrence than making the punishment more severe (McAlinden 389)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us