Punishment Research Paper Katherine Birchler
University of Phoenix (AXIA)

It is easy to see that many types of punishments in regards to someone who commits a crime don’t necessarily have long term effects. In other words, the punishment used in American society has not deterred crime. There are four types of punishment used in American society which are: retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, and societal protection. There have been many research studies that described the results of each one. The first type of punishment which is called retribution can be described as the belief of doing unto them as they have done to others. Many consider this as the old saying of an “eye for an eye,” and example of punishments of these includes death penalties, life sentences, or other forms of capital punishments. Though there are a lot of controversies about this type of punishment, there are still others who still believe this kind of punishment. It is by far the oldest form of punishment to date and still considered popular today. The effects can be damaging nonetheless to everyone involved in this process. The families of the victim(s) and the offender all grieve however judges and the authorities might justify the punishment as a way of making sure one hundred percent that the criminal will never commit their viscous act. Retribution usually happens when the offender is a serial murderer or someone else who has killed many people and is threat to society as a whole. Many opinionated researches believe this type of punishment sends a mix signal to society that revenge is okay, in that the way to punish someone who committed a wrongdoing is to punish them by committing the same act. Obviously, it can be emotionally draining and a bit ironic when examining the situation in its entirety. The second type of punishment is