What is the Purpose of Punishment?

[jgh7]

To me, there are only 3 purposes of punishment:

1) To isolate bad people to allow good people to remain safe. (ex: keeping them in a prison out of society)

2) To rehabilitate people to try and make them good/better. (ex: Punish your children to teach them not to do bad)

3) Pure punishment that is meant to prevent happiness, cause suffering/sadness, or even sentence death. This punishment is done because it is deemed that people deserve this for their bad actions.

Edit: 4) Public punishment for sending a message to others to dissuade them from doing the same bad deed.


Are all three of these acceptable reasons to you? Are any of them unnacceptable? Are there any reasons that I have missed as to the purpose of punishment?

[Miles]

To me, there are only 3 purposes of punishment:

1) To isolate bad people to allow good people to remain safe. (ex: keeping them in a prison out of society)

2) To rehabilitate people to try and make them good/better. (ex: Punish your children to teach them not to do bad)

3) Pure punishment that is meant to prevent happiness, cause suffering/sadness, or even sentence death. This punishment is done because it is deemed that people deserve this for their bad actions.


Are all three of these acceptable reasons to you? Are any of them unnacceptable? Are there any reasons that I have missed as to the purpose of punishment?

I don't see reason 1 as punishment. Punishment usually entails suffering of some kind, and I don't believe that being inconvenienced, as in being incarcerated so as to make one better, qualifies as suffering.

[jgh7]

[Replying to post 2 by Miles]

That's an understandable stance, I could be wrong about classifying (1) as punishment.

Do you support the concept of punishment though. I have heard people argue that the very idea of punishment is barbaric: causing others suffering solely because of something bad they've done.

What do you think about that, I guess I'm referring specifically to reason (3) in my OP. Is it barbaric, or is there merit behind it?

[Miles]

[Replying to post 2 by Miles]

That's an understandable stance, I could be wrong about classifying (1) as punishment.

Do you support the concept of punishment though. I have heard people argue that the very idea of punishment is barbaric: causing others suffering solely because of something bad they've done.

What do you think about that, I guess I'm referring specifically to reason (3) in my OP. Is it barbaric, or is there merit behind it?

I do believe in punishment, making people suffer. For one thing, as with children, it sets an immediate consequence for behaving badly, which no other form of consequence may accomplish. A good swat on the butt for dragging one's sister around the room by her hair is quite just. Another reason is that it sends a message to others who may be thinking of behaving badly. Thinking of torching the business you were fired from? Just remember that if you're caught you may have all your liberties taken away for 10-20 years, just as Firebug Freddy found out last year.

[Youkilledkenny]

[Replying to post 1 by jgh7]

To me, to a just person, punishment should be, at most, to change (or prevent) a specific behavior.
And to a lesser extent (maybe only by extension of prevention) to be an example to others NOT to partake in said activity or you'll be punished.

In an unjust person, punishment might be to cause harm as harm as a form af vengence or 'Well, that's what you get for disobeying me HAHA!"

[ttruscott]

To me, there are only 3 purposes of punishment:

1) To isolate bad people to allow good people to remain safe. (ex: keeping them in a prison out of society)

2) To rehabilitate people to try and make them good/better. (ex: Punish your children to teach them not to do bad)

3) Pure punishment that is meant to prevent happiness, cause suffering/sadness, or even sentence death. This punishment is done because it is deemed that people deserve this for their bad actions.

Edit: 4) Public punishment for sending a message to others to dissuade them from doing the same bad deed.

Are all three of these acceptable reasons to you? Are any of them unnacceptable? Are there any reasons that I have missed as to the purpose of punishment?

#3) Pure punishment is better called a judgment ...the application of retributive sentence as a legal application of justice for a legal conviction of a crime. No necessary intent of suffering is implied but the criminal feels the sentence as painful.

In my mind, the intent of rehabilitation is the difference between a punishment and a judgement which has no such intent. With this proviso, I accept 1, 2 and 3.