Society’s response to crime has changed over the centuries. The consequences faced by an individual engaging in crime have changed over the years. The change in the consequences has arisen from society’s impact on public policy, sentencing practices, and correctional operations. In contemporary times, society responds to crime by expressing its views through various forms such as protests, boycotts, and riots. Across the various societies, the societies’ response to crime has mainly focused on regulating behavior and ensuring that individuals abide by the laid down rules. This paper delves into the evolution of society’s views on crime and punishment, the need for crime and punishment, the shift in sentencing laws, the current response to crime, and the impact of multiculturalism and diversity on the response to crime.
Evolution of Societal Views on Crime and Punishment
Society’s views on crime and punishment have changed over the years. In the traditional times, the views on crime were based on early codes of law such as the Babylonian and Sumerian codes and the Roman law (“ Early history of punishment ,” 2020) . The Code of Hammurabi, which advocated for equal retaliation when an offense was committed, is amongst the earlier codes that were used in, the earlier times. Religious beliefs were also at the center stage of influencing the views on crime and punishment. Conservative methods of punishment were used to respond to crime. Some of the punishment methods used in the early times included corporal punishment, trial by ordeal, capital punishment, gagging, whipping, banishment from society, indentured servitude, amongst others (“ Early history of punishment ,” 2020) . The purposes of the various punishment techniques were varied and included instilling guilt, humiliation, deterrence, and retribution. Most of the traditional punishment techniques were dehumanizing to the offender. The emergence of the new philosophers during the 1700s, the Age of Enlightenment, led to the correctional reforms that paved the way to the imprisonment system (“ Early history of punishment ,” 2020) . Punishment laws have been advanced further to incorporate liberality and flexibility. Acts of self-defense, being insane, and advanced scientific and technological methods as the basis for evidence are now acceptable in the criminal justice system.
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The perspectives of society are taken into consideration when making adjustments to the criminal justice system. Public policy involves the courses of actions or inactions taken by governments towards public problems and issues. The prevalent outlook in society influences the policies to be adopted, for example, the restrictions imposed in a society. The success of public policies requires the support of the citizenry. Complaints from the society concerning increased crime are met with the initiation of a public policy through legislation by bodies such as Congress to make the society feel safe. The enacted public policy’s failure to tame crime may make society lose its trust in the law. Society may result in unlawful taming crime methods such as taking the law into their hands and reprimanding the offenders, e.g., through mob justice.
Society’s response to crime impacts sentencing practices. When legislating and regulating criminal behaviors in society, federal and state governments consider society’s views on the said crime. For example, the imprisonment duration is based on the harms inflicted on the victim of the crime and the effects that the society perceives the crime to have. An offense greatly abhorred by society, such as murder and rape, attracts harsh sentencing practices such as lifetime imprisonment.
Society’s response to crime also influences correctional operations. Imprisonment is one of the punishment techniques that has been in use for a number of years. A focus on imprisonment has led to increased prison populations. Mass incarcerations have led to overcrowding in correctional facilities. Society’s reaction to the huge federal and state budgets used in prisons has led to parole adoption and shorter sentences for first-time offenders (Mauer, 2018). Reports indicating the occurrence of sexual assaults have influenced correctional operations by having more inspections.
The Need for Crime and Punishment
Every society has what they term as a crime and what is not. Although what is termed as a crime varies from one society to another, crime could be described as any act contrary to the laid-down rules, laws, and statutes in a particular country. The description of the acts that constitute a crime helps to ensure social order and helps society know when one is doing wrong. Punishment for committing a crime has been described as important due to various reasons. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) (2019), punishment helps in retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, rehabilitation, and reparation. The various justifications for punishment cite punishment as a way of reducing and preventing crime in the society.
The Shift in Sentencing Laws and their Impacts
Prior to the mid-1970s, the US imprisonment system was designed to be more rehabilitative than punitive (Benson, 2003). In the 1970s, criminologists, federal and state governments opted for mass incarcerations in an effort to ensure the public safety. A get tough on crime approach geared towards ensuring individuals refrained from crime was adopted. Federal and state governments enacted laws that promoted imprisonment and lengthened the time served in prison. These shifts in sentencing laws led to the drastic increase in prison populations that exists to the present date (Mauer, 2018). The impacts of the punitive approach have been some modest reduction in crime. However, the approach has been described as disadvantageous since it uses a significant portion of the fiscal budget and impairs the life prospects of the imprisoned (Mauer, 2018). The punitive approach is still used in the present day.
The Emphasis on Punishment or Rehabilitation
The current focus in the criminal justice system is on punishment rather than on rehabilitation. The justice system is inclined towards having the wrongdoers experience the consequences of their wrongdoing. Thus, criminal elements in society have been subjected to lengthy prison terms (Mauer, 2018). Punishment is important as it helps ensure order in the society and make individuals refrain from crime. On the other hand, rehabilitation, whereby offenders are taken through a process to reform their behaviour, is a better approach to countering crime (Mauer, 2018). It has the long-term benefit of reducing recidivism.
The Impact of Individual Multiculturalism and Diversity Ideas on the Response to Crime
One’s ideas on multiculturalism and diversity impact their response to crime. Individuals who have not embraced multiculturalism and diversity in the society exhibit prejudice and discrimination towards other members of society. The bias in response to crime has been explicitly and implicitly exhibited by law enforcement officers towards persons of various races, especially blacks (Balko, 2020). In the United States, the explicit bias exhibited by law enforcement officers towards persons of color in the recent past has led to public protests organized under the Black lives matter movement. The failure to embrace religious diversity has also led to similar bias and discrimination towards Muslims, with some individuals regarding all Muslims as terrorists (Canter & Youngs, 2016) .
Conclusion
Conclusively, society’s response to crime has influenced the public policies, the sentencing practices and the correctional operations over the years. The shift from rehabilitative to punitive approach in the 1970s has led to increased prison populations in the US, while doing ver little in reducing crime rates.
References
Balko, R. (2020). Retrieved 1 January 2021, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/opinions/systemic-racism-police-evidence-criminal-justice-system/.
Benson, E. (2003). Rehabilitate or punish? . https://www.apa.org. Retrieved 1 January 2021, from https://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/rehab.
Canter, D., & Youngs, D. (2016). Crime and society. Contemporary Social Science , 11 (4), 283-288. https://doi.org/10.1080/21582041.2016.1259495
Mauer, M. (2018). Long-term sentences: Time to reconsider the scale of punishment | The Sentencing Project . The Sentencing Project. Retrieved 1 January 2021, from https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/long-term-sentences-time-reconsider-scale-punishment/.
SAGE Publications, Inc. (2020). Early history of punishment and the development of prisons in the United States [Ebook]. Retrieved 1 January 2021, from https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/97948_Chapter_1_Early_History_of_Punishment_and_the_Development_of_Prisons_in_the_United_States.pdf.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). (2019). Crime prevention & criminal justice module 7 key issues: 2- Justifying punishment in the community . Unodc.org. Retrieved 1 January 2021, from https://www.unodc.org/e4j/en/crime-prevention-criminal-justice/module-7/key-issues/2--justifying-punishment-in-the-community.html.
