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MORAL RESPONSIBILITY & PUNISHMENT/REWARD - Coggle Diagram
MORAL RESPONSIBILITY & PUNISHMENT/REWARD
HARD DETERMINISM
Reward & punishment are meaningless since those who break the law do not choose to do so
reformation is pointless
skinner suggested psychological conditioning as a way of reforming an offenders character and outlook by manipulating their minds
criminals can be conditioned to not desire anything that harms society (rape, theft, murder)
theological determinism
any idea of a sin against god becomes redundant because nobody can be blamed by god for what their created and determined nature makes them do
especially due to predestination
LIBERATARIANS
Kant and other libertarians see retribution as the appropriate response to crime
kants 'ought implies can' points freedom of choice
some would see reform as the appropriate response
this would be in the sense of helping offenders to face up to the harm they had casued
feeling regret and then making a conscious and freely chosen decision to behave differently next time
COMPATIBALISM
Would accept moral responsibility for those who could have done otherwise, had they so wished
Hume said that actions should be judged praiseworthy or blameworthy only where:
'they are indications of internal character, passions and affections'
For Hume, it makes no sense to punish people for act done through ignorance or coercion
there acts in such cases are wrong but that person is not morally repsonsable
for hume, most actions we approve of increase public utility( they are beneficial)
the aim of punishment and reward therefore must be to increase utility
punishment must therefore be along the lined of social engineering through which:
fear of punishment helps repress anti-social behaviour
c-crewards stimulate a virtuous character
APPROACHES TO CRIME
1) CRIME AS A MENTAL CONDITION:
AN ILLNESS THAT CAN BE TREATED
Accepts thar there are determining factors in an individuals life for which they cannot be blamed
e.g they may have ben brought up in a domestic environment of abuse, violence or general ignorance
Treatment should be therapeutic
aimed at helping and healing the criminal, rather than retributive
REFORM:
this involves dealing with what led the offender to commit crimeenables them to face up to what they have done and leading to changes attitude
2) CRIME AD A DELIBERATELY SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR (SHOULD BE PUNISHED)
Punishment may be carried out for several reasons e.g:
RETRIBUTION:
enforces the idea of responsibility
compensates the victim
allows criminal to pay fro their crime
reform of the criminal is costly, time consuming and ineffective