Certainty of punishment
Definition
The probability that an offence will be detected and lead to punishment. Classical theory and empirical research both identify this as the most powerful of the three deterrence levers, ahead of severity and swiftness.
Related terms
- Bounded rationality
- The recognition, from behavioural economics and psychology, that human decision-making is rational only within limits set by available information, cognitive capacity, and...
- Classical School
- The eighteenth-century intellectual tradition in criminology, associated with Beccaria and Bentham, that treats offenders as rational actors and argues for proportionate, certain,...
- Deterrence
- A forward-looking aim holding that the threat or experience of punishment discourages future offending. General deterrence targets potential offenders in the population;...
- Hedonistic calculus
- Bentham's term for the rational weighing of pleasure against pain. In his framework, legislators should calibrate punishments so the pain of the...
- Severity of punishment
- The magnitude or harshness of the penalty imposed. Classical theory holds that severity should be proportionate to harm. Modern research finds that...
Explained in
- The Classical School and Deterrence TheoryThe probability that an offence will be detected and lead to punishment. Classical theory and empirical research both identify this as the most powerful of the...