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- Dictionarypunishment/ˈpʌnɪʃm(ə)nt/
noun
- 1. the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offence: "crime demands just punishment" Similar
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Learn the meaning of punishment as the act of punishing, the suffering or loss that serves as retribution, or the penalty inflicted on an offender. See synonyms, examples, word history, and related phrases of punishment.
Punishment is the act of punishing someone or rough treatment. Learn more about the meaning, pronunciation and translations of punishment in English and other languages.
- Overview
- Theories and objectives of punishment
- Retribution
- Utilitarian theories
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punishment, the infliction of some kind of pain or loss upon a person for a misdeed (i.e., the transgression of a law or command). Punishment may take forms ranging from capital punishment, flogging, forced labour, and mutilation of the body to imprisonment and fines. Deferred punishments consist of penalties that are imposed only if an offense is repeated within a specified time.
In some premodern societies, punishment was largely vindictive or retributive, and its prosecution was left to the individuals wronged (or to their families). In quantity and quality such punishment bore no special relation to the character or gravity of the offense. Gradually there arose the idea of proportionate punishment, such as was reflected in the biblical dictum “an eye for an eye” (see talion). Eventually punishment by individuals came under the control of the community; later, with the development of codes of law, the state took over the punitive function for the maintenance of public order. Under such a system, the state is viewed as the entity wronged by the crime, and the exaction of punishment by individuals acting on their own behalf (as in cases of lynching) is illegal.
Punishment has been a subject of debate among philosophers, political leaders, and lawyers for centuries. Various theories of punishment have been developed, each of which attempts to justify the practice in some form and to state its proper objectives.
Modern punishment theories date from the 18th century, when the humanitarian movement in Europe emphasized the dignity of the individual, as well as his rationality and responsibility. The quantity and severity of punishments were reduced, the prison system was improved, and the first attempts were made to study the psychology of crime and to distinguish between classes of criminals. During most of the 19th and 20th centuries, individuals who broke the law were viewed as the product of social conditions, and accordingly punishment was considered justified only insofar as (1) it protected society by acting as a deterrent or by temporarily or permanently removing one who has injured it or (2) it aimed at the moral or social regeneration of the criminal. By the latter half of the 20th century, however, many people in Western countries objected to this view of punishment, believing that it placed too little responsibility on offenders for their actions, undervalued the additional deterrent effect derivable from severe, as compared with moderate, punishment, and ignored society’s ostensible right to retribution.
The retributive theory of punishment holds that punishment is justified by the moral requirement that the guilty make amends for the harm they have caused to society. Retributive theories generally maintain, as did the Italian criminologist Cesare Beccaria (1738–94), that the severity of a punishment should be proportionate to the gravity of the offense. Some retributive theories hold that punishment should never be imposed to achieve a social objective (such as law-abiding behaviour in the future by the offender or by others who witness his example), while others allow social objectives to be pursued as secondary goals. Many (but not all) retributive theories also claim that punishment should not be inflicted on a person unless he is found guilty of a specific offense (thus, they would prohibit collective punishment and the taking of hostages from the general population).
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Although retributive theorists do not base their justification of punishment on its possible deterrent or reformative effects, many of them agree that punishment can perform a salutary educational function. The enactment and implementation of the criminal law—including particularly the imposition of sentences—provides a concrete example of society’s values and thereby reinforces them. Citizens whose moral values are reinforced by court judgments may feel more strongly committed to them than previously; by contrast, they may question or feel less constrained by values that the courts visibly ignore. Without this kind of reinforcement, some retributivists argue, the legitimacy of the legal system itself may be undermined, leading eventually to general moral decline and the dissolution of society.
According to utilitarian theories, punishment is justified by its deterrence of criminal behaviour and by its other beneficial consequences for individuals as well as for society. Among several utilitarian theories recognized by criminologists, some stress general deterrence and some individual deterrence.
Punishment is the infliction of pain or loss on a person for a misdeed, such as breaking a law or command. Learn about the different forms, objectives, and theories of punishment, as well as its history and current legal status in various countries and regions.
noun. the act of punishing. punishing. the fact of being punished, as for an offense or fault. a penalty inflicted for an offense, fault, etc. severe handling or treatment. punishment. / ˈpʌnɪʃmənt /.
Learn the meaning of punishment as a noun and a verb, with synonyms, pronunciation, and usage examples. Find out the difference between punishment and related terms such as penalty, sanction, and retribution.
When someone is officially penalized for a mistake or a crime, that's punishment. Stealing a car could result in a punishment involving jail, while pinching your little sister might mean a punishment as mild as sitting in a chair and thinking about ways to be nicer next time.
Learn the meaning, pronunciation and usage of the word punishment in English. Find out the difference between punishment and capital punishment, and see idioms and phrases related to punishment.
