Deterrence And Retribution In The Criminal Justice System

Deterrence and retribution are two major philosophies that underpin punishment in the Criminal Justice System. Deterrence is a philosophy which aims to prevent or reduce crime through the fear of punishment with the aim that the threat of punishment will prevent people committing crimes. Whereas retribution is a philosophy which aims to punish the criminal for the act caused with the idea that the punishment should be proportional to the harm caused for example the idea of ‘an eye for an eye’ (Philosophies of punishment 2005). The aim of this report is to define and explain both retribution and deterrence compare and contrast the philosophies and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. Identifying which philosophy is the most effective for

Both deterrence and retribution aim to prevent future crime while promoting justice and maintaining order in society. Both philosophies recognise that criminal acts have a negative impact for the individuals involved and the community as a whole. However, deterrence and retribution do have many differences for example their main focus. Deterrence focuses on preventing crime by enforcing punishments so serve they deter the community as a whole not to commit crime not just the offenders. Deterrence follows the idea that people are rational and will not commit a criminal act if the price of their action is bigger then the benefits of it (Philosophies of punishment 2005). Whereas retribution focuses on punishing the criminal for their crime despite it deterring them or not and operates on the idea thar criminals should be held accountable for their

MAPPA is a multi-agency which manages the risks posed by violent and sex offenders, with their focus to protect society from harm and ensuring that offenders are monitored not only while they serve their sentence but also after their release. MAPPA works in all thirty-two London boroughs and each individual agency share information about sexual and violent offenders in order to carry out their obligations in helping to manage the offender safely in society.

MAPPA supports retribution ensuring criminals are being punished for their crimes and that their punishment is proportional to the harm that they caused to the community. MAPPA makes sure offenders are held accountable for their actions through, imprisonment, supervision, community service and continued observation once released from imprisonment. The agencies work together by sharing information, assessing risks and considering many variables such as mental health, education and substance abuse in order to ensure offenders receive any support they require while still being held accountable for their