The Role Of Retribution To Mentally Ill Offenders
284 Words2 Pages
Retribution, even when not dealing with mentally ill offenders, can be controversial. Retribution plays a role in the nature and practice of punishment the same as prevention of crime and reforming of convicted criminals. However, the role is not always clear and is limited in scope. Philosophers have debated the theory of punishment for many years and have been divided into those that are forward-looking and those that are backward-looking (Ellis 1995; Goldman 1982; Honderich 2006; McDermott 2001; Thompson 1966). The philosophers that look forward justified punishment by arguing that there will be likely benefits in the future to the degree that those in society have set as normal. Forward-looking reasons for punishment are protecting