Replies

Do you think thieves should not be punished?
Again, as I've explained, not for reasons of morality or justice but I think there's validation for the state to require reasonable payback to the victim. (The victim himself of course can also go after him in civil court.)

I do see that answering the question. There are crimes that don't leave a situation for payback.

My question: Is punishment a reasonable response by the state for crimes. I believe it is more than protecting the society. Punishment provides a deterrent against future time. Punishment of crimes is a state/society responsibility. Do you agree?

Your first question was about theft which generally would involve the possibility of payback.

Is punishment a reasonable response by the state for crimes. I believe it is more than protecting the society. Punishment provides a deterrent against future time. Punishment of crimes is a state/society responsibility.

IMO, "punishment" doesn't go anywhere. It looks back and generally applies to the unredeemed morality or justice of "eye-for-eye" and not much else. It doesn't look to the future nor does it care. I think the (mis)use of "punishment" is the reason prisons are the go-nowhere, miserable places they are. "Punishment" seems to be the main justification for sentencing and imprisonment. Therefore like punishment, prisons have no vision, no hope. IMO, and I think the record also shows, punishment is an exercise in futility.

As far as deterrents go, I think productive incarceration is as much of a deterrent as anything else, yet it yields potentially positive outcomes. The collateral effects of loss of freedom because of productive incarceration would seem deterrent enough. Why use backward-looking, vision-less "punishment" as a deterrent when forward-looking productive incarceration for protection and relevant payback also serves as a deterrent?

I guess part of what I'm saying is when the prison system revolves around "punishment", then prison, like punishment, becomes a dead-end street, as it is today. But if the prison system revolved around protecting society, productivity, reasonable payback, and rehab, I think we'd see vast improvement in conditions and results. And if someone is "deterrable" (some are not) both would seem to serve that purpose, but one with much better results.