10.3.3

Punishment

Test yourself

Theoretical Approaches to Punishment

Functionalists and Marxists have different approaches to the purpose and aims of criminal punishment.  

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The Functionalist view 

  • Durkheim believed that punishment is ‘expressive’ as it heals the wounds of the public while also promoting the value consensus.
  • In his view, traditional societies used ‘retributive justice’.
  • This was simple, effective and often brutal.
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Restitutive justice

  • However, in modern societies have moved to using ‘restitutive justice’.
  • Punishment must now restore a sense of equilibrium to society by ensuring that the community is healed from the damage of the offence that was committed. 
Illustrative background for The Marxist view  Illustrative background for The Marxist view   ?? "content

The Marxist view 

  • The role of punishment is to benefit capitalism through the imprisonment of the working classes.
  • The criminal justice system use ‘selective law enforcement’ to protect the interests of the ruling class and therefore acts as a ‘repressive state apparatus’ by making the proletariat conform due to the fear of punishment. 
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Role of prisons

  • The role of prisons has changed over time.
  • Garland discusses how prisons are being used as the main form of punishment in the USA and in the UK.
  • Garland believes that prisons are now used by politicians to prove to the electorate that they are tough on crime, and as a result they will gain electoral popularity and win elections.   

Jump to other topics

1Theory & Methods

2Education with Methods in Context

3Option 1: Culture & Identity

4Option 1: Families & Households

5Option 1: Health

6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare

7Option 2: Beliefs in Society

8Option 2: Global Development

9Option 2: The Media

10Crime & Deviance

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