Deterrence
Definition
A forward-looking aim holding that the threat or experience of punishment discourages future offending. General deterrence targets potential offenders in the population; specific deterrence targets the individual already punished.
- Orientation
- Forward-looking, consequentialist aim
- General deterrence
- Targets potential offenders generally
- Specific deterrence
- Targets the individual already punished
- Contrast
- Distinct from retribution's backward focus
Common questions
What is the difference between general and specific deterrence in practice?+
General deterrence relies on publicised punishment discouraging the wider population from offending, while specific deterrence relies on the offender's own experience of punishment discouraging their own reoffending. A single sentence is often justified by appeal to both at once.
Does deterrence theory assume offenders act rationally?+
Yes, classical deterrence theory assumes potential offenders weigh the costs and likelihood of punishment against the expected benefit of the offence, which is one reason critics argue it applies poorly to impulsive or compulsive offending.
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...
- Certainty of Punishment
- The probability that an offence will be detected and lead to punishment. Classical theory and empirical research both identify this as the...
- 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,...
- Denunciation
- The communicative function of punishment: the sentence expresses the community's collective moral condemnation of the act. Rooted in Durkheim's argument that punishment...
- 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...
- 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...
- 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 these topics
- The Aims of Punishment
- The Classical School and Deterrence TheoryThe prevention of crime through the threat of punishment. General deterrence targets potential offenders in the population at large; specific deterrence target...