1. Punishment theory
By: Malgorzata Krawiec-Grigsby

2. 3 Justifications of criminal
Sanctions
• Deterrence
• Incapacitation
• Rehabilitation

3. Deterrence
• Deterrence targets the individual.
• It is a form of a punishment to deter people
from committing a future crime or offenses.
• The concept is to install fear in people to make
sure they do not commit crimes.

4. Incapacitation
• It is based on utilitarianism-like deterrence.
• Does not require any root causes of criminal
behavior.
• The factor in this model is to reduce crime by
putting the criminal in jail so he/she does not
have a chance to commit more crimes.

5. Rehabilitation
• Rehabilitation model assumes that criminal
behavior is caused by some factor.
• Some factors could be:
– a person's social surroundings
– psychological development
– biological makeup

6. Classical Theory on Punishment
• One of the earliest approaches to explaining
the causes of crime was classical theory.
• Classical theory is explained as: People
exercise free will and are responsible for
their actions (Lily, p. 20).
• The punishment should fit the crime, not
the physical characteristics of the criminal.

7. (Con’t) Classical Theory on
Punishment
• Crime is attractive when it promises great
benefits with little effort.
• Crime may be controlled by the fear of
punishment.
• Punishment will deter criminal behavior.

8. Positivist Theory on Punishment
• Lombroso, “the father of modern criminology”
explains that criminals have certain physical
characteristics.
– Large jaws
– Low sloping forehead
– High cheekbones
– Flattened nose
– Handle shaped ears

9. In conclusion
Punishment is determined differently all around.
Deterrence tries to put fear in people.
Incapacitation puts people in prison so they do
not have a chance to commit more crimes.
Rehabilitation states that factors of biological,
surroundings, and psychological plays a role in
the criminal behavior. The classical theory
explains that people are free to do what they
want and know the consequences or rewards for
their actions. The positivist theory is explained as
you can distinguish a criminal by their physical
characterisitics.

10. References
• Cullen, Francis T., and Richard A. Ball. "Chapter
2." Criminological Theory: Context and
Consequences. By J. Robert Lilly. London:
SAGE, 2011. 20-24. Print.
• The Positive School: Biological and
Psychological Factors." N.p., 22 Nov. 2005.
Web. 29 Apr. 2013.