Question

Compare a punitive to a rehabilitative justice system in terms of their characteristics, pros, and cons. How does each address the issues of deterrence and recidivism?

(Please make sure to answer all the parts of the question) Thank you!

Answer 1

characteristics- Punitive justice system focuses on giving punishment for a crime.They are based on retributive justice, that can be compared with revenge taking. It focuses on deterence to prevent crime.
Rehabilitative justice sytem aims to rehabilitate the offender of crime by reforming the person. Thus it is a kind of reformative justice. Focus is on correction instead of just punishing for wrongs done.
pros and cons - Punitive justice seems to be more objective as it clearly punish in proprtion to the severity of crime. It is easy to administer once the guilt has been proven. It also act as deterence. However , it does not seek to reform and hence in future same person can commit crime again which is called recidivism .Moreover, they carry a stigma to be sentenced that create difficuties in their adjustment to society.
While in rehabiltative justice system, criminal are counselled, made to realise their faults and tried to rehabilitate them from social stigma. This lead to reduction of repeat offenders . However, this system takes much mre time and cost than punitive. Moreover, it is not as objective as punitive. Deterence ability of this is also weaker or negligible.