CRIMINAL LAWS

Criminal Laws

Criminal Laws

When a crime is committed, almost everyone in society believes that the criminal should be punished (Macionis, 2006). From a sociological point of view one might ask why these criminals need to be punished. There are four different justifications for punishment which are retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation and societal protection. Which side of the debate one is on is usually determined by how each individual justifies punishment.

Retribution is defined as "something given or exacted in recompense" (Lungren, 2006: p56). This is basically "eye for an eye" justice and is the oldest form of justification for punishment (Kovandzic, 2004). In ...