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The Effectiveness of Punishment

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Submitted By ashleyn11
Words 1369
Pages 6
Ashley Dinsmore
“Why bother thinking about the effectiveness of penal measures in considering the future of penal policy when the results of research are disappointing and unhelpful?”
Over the years there has been continual research on the most successful ways to prevent offenders from reoffending and to stop offending in the first place. Many criminological researchers have closely studied the lives of former criminals after their sentences, and with inconsistent research resulting and the failure of policies put into place, it could be said that the prevention of reoffending or initial offending by the criminal justice system is not currently in reach. Through evidence from examinations and surveys on offenders, it can be seen that no criminal thinks alike, and that because of this it is not profitable to put general policies into place, for results will be minimal. When initially considering offending reduction strategies, it is assumed that crime prevention measures will include the use of disciplinary action. Although this is accurate, it has become more apparent to some scholars over the latest decades that the use of punitive measures against offenders has just made the probability of reoffending worse. (McGuire, 4) There is incessant debate on whether the use of punishment on offenders will decrease the likelihood of reoffending. One of the most popular debate on this subject is the “what works” argument. The “what works” debate focuses on whether authoritative reaction on criminal offenses will have an influence on the rate of the criminal reoffending. This argument proposes that while it is achievable to reduce the rate of reoffending, it isn’t probable with the use of penalizing measures. As it is notable that disciplinary measures are the main source of correction throughout the criminal justice system, this view is not commonly accepted. Many

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