Today’s standard form of punishment
Foucault: Less violent punishment isn’t necessarily better
- Incarceration is ruthless in its own way
- The removal of you from your life and everyday things
Corrections: a system where societal function is designed to hold, punish, supervise, determine, and possibly
rehabilitate the accused or convicted
- Implication of the Name: “correct”, “amend”, “put right.”
America is the world leader in incarceration.
Theoretical Underpinnings of Corrections
Nature v Nurture
Nurture: sociological approach, humans are blank slates that are formed by cultural experiences
- Assumes human nature is good
- Antisocial behavior is learned
Evolutionary, biology, and brain sciences argue that innate human nature has evolved
- Traits evolved from the need to survive and reproduce
- Argued traits like aggression and low empathy impact criminality
- Assumes that human nature is naturally selfish
The majority of people behind bars are victims.
- Cannot correct them without finding the fundamental reason (trauma, ACEs, SMI, etc.)
- Hard
- Complicated
Impact of the
Classical School of Punishment
The Classical School of Punishment shifted away from retributive punishment.
Cesare Beccaria: known, swift, certain, and severe punishment
- People commit crimes because we are in pursuit of pleasure, and we hurt someone on the way
- Makes laws to determine this
- Made punishments are more just, had issues with secret accusations
- No reference to social status
- Abolition of the death penalty
Jeremy Bentham: principle of utility
- Human action should be judged moral or immoral by the effect on the happiness of the community.y
- Legislature Function: maximum pleasure and minimum pain for the largest number in society
- Need to understand human motivation
- Hedonistic, rational, endowed with free will
How we explained crime
Foucault: Less violent punishment isn’t necessarily better
- Incarceration is ruthless in its own way
- The removal of you from your life and everyday things
Corrections: a system where societal function is designed to hold, punish, supervise, determine, and possibly
rehabilitate the accused or convicted
- Implication of the Name: “correct”, “amend”, “put right.”
America is the world leader in incarceration.
Theoretical Underpinnings of Corrections
Nature v Nurture
Nurture: sociological approach, humans are blank slates that are formed by cultural experiences
- Assumes human nature is good
- Antisocial behavior is learned
Evolutionary, biology, and brain sciences argue that innate human nature has evolved
- Traits evolved from the need to survive and reproduce
- Argued traits like aggression and low empathy impact criminality
- Assumes that human nature is naturally selfish
The majority of people behind bars are victims.
- Cannot correct them without finding the fundamental reason (trauma, ACEs, SMI, etc.)
- Hard
- Complicated
Impact of the
Classical School of Punishment
The Classical School of Punishment shifted away from retributive punishment.
Cesare Beccaria: known, swift, certain, and severe punishment
- People commit crimes because we are in pursuit of pleasure, and we hurt someone on the way
- Makes laws to determine this
- Made punishments are more just, had issues with secret accusations
- No reference to social status
- Abolition of the death penalty
Jeremy Bentham: principle of utility
- Human action should be judged moral or immoral by the effect on the happiness of the community.y
- Legislature Function: maximum pleasure and minimum pain for the largest number in society
- Need to understand human motivation
- Hedonistic, rational, endowed with free will
How we explained crime
