9781422282748

JUSTICE, POLICING, AND THE RULE OF LAW

disproportionate to transgressions, people lose faith in the justice system. For instance, in Great Britain in the 1700s, hanging was the punishment for more than 200 crimes, many of which would be considered relatively minor today, like picking pockets or breaking into a house. In modern democracies, justice systems impose a variety of punishments, from minor to severe. Small crimes such as speeding or loitering typically have fines of between $25 to $100. More serious offenses result in confinement in prison or even capital punishment (execution) in some countries. Retributive justice is designed to accomplish three main goals. The first is to deter wrongdoing. If people believe they might be apprehended and punished for a crime, they may be less likely to commit the offense. The second goal is to provide a sense of justice, to make people feel that the government is protecting them or their property by punishing criminals. The third and final goal is the removal of criminals from society. Someone who commits a serious crime and is sent to prison for a lengthy period is unable to engage in further misdeeds against the public while incarcerated. Restorative Justice Although retributive justice is common, it is not the only way to approach the issue. Restorative justice concentrates on two problems. The first is the rehabilitation of those who have committed criminal offenses. The second is the repair of any harm done by criminal acts through redress for the victims of criminal offenses. To accomplish these two very different goals, restorative justice takes a collective approach that involves interaction by the wrongdoer, the victims of a crime, representatives of the community, and law enforcement. All of the involved parties work together to craft a solution that repairs the harm done to the victim and the community by the crime, while giving the perpetrator the opportunity to make amends. In countries or communities that use restorative justice, the victim and representatives of the community, usually government officials, negotiate a process, whereby the offender accepts responsibility for his or her wrongdoing and provides

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