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Punishment Research Paper

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Punishment Research Paper
Mary Barley
Axia University of Phoenix
SOC 120
June 20, 2011
Walter James

Punishment Research Paper When a crime is committed there are thoughts of why it happened, but there are also thoughts of justice. How will this person pay for this crime? These questions are asked everyday as crimes are being committed. And as these crimes are committed the offenders are going to be labeled to fall in one of the four types of justifications of punishment, which are retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, and societal protection. Questions have been asked as to what type of punishment deters crime in American society. These questions have been asked and debated over time and answers may be inconclusive. The most important question is does punishment discourage crime at all? Retribution is the oldest justification for punishment to satisfy a society’s need for revenge. Retribution is an act of moral vengeance by which society makes the offender suffer as much as the suffering caused by the crime committed (Macionis, 2006). For example, if someone was severely beaten, retribution for the crime may be to severely beat the criminal. The Mafia families would only feel satisfied when they got revenge themselves. The leader of the organized crime family would choose a subordinate to go out and get revenge for the family. Who should be held accountable for the crime the subordinate or the leader? According to Eldar, 2010, the sentence of an organized crime leader for an offence committed by his organization should be 40–90% greater than the penalty imposed on the direct perpetrator; however, he provides no explanation for these percentages. Some justify retribution by appealing to the Bible: "You shall give life for life, eye for eye, and tooth for tooth..." (Exodus 21:23, 24). Scripture scholars tell us that the eye-for-eye mandate is

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