Does the Punishment Fit the Crime?

Punishment is the authoritative imposition of something negative or unpleasant on a person in response to behavior deemed wrong by an individual or a group of people.

The most severe ways of legal punishment

LEGAL PUNISHMENT

Death Penalty

Incarceration Detention

DETENTION The detention of suspects is the process of keeping a person

who has been arrested in a police-cell, remand prison or

other detention centre before trial or sentencing.

The term 'detained' often refers to the immediacy when

someone has their liberty deprived, often before an arrest or

pre-arrest procedure has yet been followed. For example, a

shoplifter being pursued and restrained, but not yet informed

he/she is under arrest or read his rights would be classed as

'detained'.

INCARCERATION

Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime.

Incarceration serves four essential purposes with regard to criminals:

• to isolate criminals to prevent them from committing more crimes

• to punish criminals for committing crimes• to deter others from committing crimes• to rehabilitate criminals

Incarceration Rates of Selected Nations (number of people per 100,000 citizens):

CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for a crime.

Capital punishment has in the past been practised by most societies; currently only 58 nations actively practise it, and 97 countries have abolished it.

In the European Union member states, Article 2 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union prohibits the use of capital punishment.

The UN General Assembly has adopted, in 2007, 2008 and 2010, resolutions calling for a global moratorium on executions. Although many nations have abolished capital punishment, over 60% of the world's population live in countries where executions take place, as the People's Republic of China, India, the United States of America and Indonesia, the four most populous countries in the world, continue to apply the death penalty.

Abolished for all crimes

Abolished for crimes not committed in exceptional circumstances (such as crimes

committed in time of war) Legal form of punishment but not used in the last

10 years (or has a moratorium in effect) Legal form of punishment for certain offenses

PUBLIC OPINION ON CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

…it deters crime, is a good tool for police and prosecutors to make sure that convicted criminals do not offend again and is a just penalty for atrocious crimes such as child murders, serial killers or torture murderers…

…it discriminates against minorities and the poor, and encourages a "culture of violence" and violates human rights as well as leads to miscarriage of justice through the wrongful execution of innocent persons as many people have been proclaimed innocent victims of the death penalty…

List of Reference:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incarcerationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punishment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_penalty