Justifications for Punishment
Many scholars, politicians, and everyday people have disputed the value of criminal laws, sentencing laws, and corrections policies that are supported by these theories.
Identify five or more justifications for punishment given in utilitarian or retributivist theories and in a paper, explain how these ideas justify punishment. Compare and evaluate the merits of utilitarian and retributivist theories justify punishment, giving at least five arguments why one is superior to the other. Illustrate some of your points with examples of laws, policies, or studies that reflect a utilitarian or retributivist approach. Supplement your discussion with material from at least two sources, other than the textbook, concerning research on the effectiveness of either approach.
In addition to fulfilling the specifics of the Assignment, a successful paper must also meet the following criteria:
- Length of each summary should be at least 1500 words excluding cover page and references.
- Viewpoint and purpose should be clearly established and sustained.
- Assignment should follow the conventions of Standard American English (correct grammar, punctuation, etc.).
- Writing should be well ordered, logical and unified, as well as original and insightful.
- Your work should display superior content, organization, style, and mechanics.
- Appropriate citation style should be followed.
Submit your Assignment to the Dropbox by the end of Unit 8 in the basket titled Unit 8 Assignment.
Assignment Checklist
The checklist is a tool to help you evaluate whether you have met the goals of the Assignment. Take the time to review the checklist both before and after you have completed the Assignment. This will help you become familiar with your instructor’s expectations and provide you with direction in meeting the Assignment’s outcome.
Here is the Unit 8 Assignment Checklist.
Checklist
Did you
- Identify at least five justifications for punishment and analyze how they reflect utilitarian or retributivist theory about punishment?
- Did you give at least five arguments why utilitarianism is superior to retributivism or vice versa?
- Did you reference at least two sources other than the textbook on research concerning the effectiveness of either approach?
- Did you use internal citations in the body of the text as well as a proper list of references at the end of the paper, following APA format?
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