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Denunciation

Definition

The communicative function of punishment: the sentence expresses the community's collective moral condemnation of the act. Rooted in Durkheim's argument that punishment reinforces shared social norms and collective conscience.

Related terms

Deterrence
A forward-looking aim holding that the threat or experience of punishment discourages future offending. General deterrence targets potential offenders in the population;...
Incapacitation
The justification for imprisonment that focuses on preventing crime during the sentence by removing the offender from society, regardless of whether their...
Proportionality
The legal principle, central to European human rights law and to many constitutional systems, that any interference with a fundamental right must...
Rehabilitation
The aim of changing the offender's attitudes, skills, or circumstances so that they no longer offend. Rehabilitation treats offending as a problem...
Retribution
The view that punishment is justified because the offender deserves it, proportionate to the severity of the offence. A backward-looking justification: it...

Explained in

  • The Aims of PunishmentThe communicative function of punishment: the sentence expresses the community's collective moral condemnation of the act. Rooted in Durkheim's argument that p...

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