9 Punishment: Four reasons for sending people to prison
One way of trying to prevent crime is through punishment (fines, prison, execution.....)
There are FOUR main justifications for punishment:
TASK: Match one of the four justifications for punishment to each of the following statements:
1 Punish and discourage
7 The ‘short, sharp, shock’ regimes used by Thatcher’s
1980s conservative governments for young offenders
2 Reforming or changing offenders for the better
3 Vengeance and pay-back.
8 Remove the offender’s capacity to offend again by
locking them up. This is a means to an end – an
instrumental justification for punishment.
9 An expressive rather than an instrumental justification
for punishment – the expression of society’s outrage.
4 Revenge! Society getting its own back on those who do
wrong and can’ t behave themselves
5 Education and training for prisoners so when they are
released from prison they can earn an honest living
10 Locking away the dangerous, the violent and the lightfingered means that law-abiding citizens can go about
their business without fear of being attacked or robbed.
11 Anger management for violent offenders, drug
counselling for substance abusers.....
6 Taking offenders out of circulation – removing criminals
from society protects the public.
12 Making an example of offenders will put off others
who may consider doing similar acts.
As you watch the DVD clip ‘Does prison work?’ see how many of the 4 justifications you can see being discussed and note them below: