Utilitarian Theory of Punishment in the Criminal Justice...

There is an ongoing problem in our society regarding punishment and responsibility. We, as a society, tend to look away when it comes to how criminals are being punished and maybe we should be paying more attention. Violence seems to be an integral part of our society, some raise their children with violence, we watch it on television, read it in newspapers and books and now we are even playing violent video games. When it comes to the judicial system the majority of citizens do not even know how individuals are being punished or if the punishment is too harsh, not severe enough or if the individual even needs punishment because what they may need is psychiatric help. Behavioral scientist, Karl Menninger, believes that our prisons are†¦show more content†¦The utilitarian theory of punishment is another approach to the criminal justice system. Richard B. Brandt believes that this type of punishment is frequently found in Great Britain and the United States. He believes that u tilitarian’s differ in their thoughts as to what is the â€Å"ideal† system would be but the punishment extended should be fair and that the threat of punishment may be more important than the punishment itself. Brandt discusses the difference in the prosecution and defense used to obtain maximum utility and how the punishment should be implemented and how to mitigate the punishment. Brandt also discusses how utilitarian’s believe that reform needs to take place in the criminal justice system. What is being proposed begins with reforming the juvenile court system with more psychiatric treatment and programs to assist with crime prevention as well as asking for more social awareness to help these programs. This reform would then be extended to the adult population. After a guilty verdict is rendered, the experts would complete an evaluation and decisions would be made regarding treatment for each individual and a timeline created to establish when such individual could be reintegrated back into society. This type of sentence may not follow utilitarian views but there views regardingShow MoreRelatedThe Retributive And Utilitarian Theory Of Punishment1478 Words   |  6 Pages Punishment is any kind of negative penalty inflicted on the wrong doer to prevent him from doing wrong in the future. Though there is no specific definition for punishment, it implies all those acts that are required to teach the wrong doer a lesson. Taking a negative step towards the offender. Since the evolution of time, there have been many sociologists who have given their theories on punishment and how the offender should be punished. 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