ABSTRACT
While each part of the formal criminal justice system presents unique ethical dilemmas, an examination of the correctional system raises a host of questions about the nature of punishment, as well as the intended goal(s) of punishment. At its most basic level, punishment can be defined as “pain, suffering, loss, confinement or other penalty inflicted on a person for an offense by the authority to which the offender is subject” (Alexander, 1922, p. 235). While that represents an accurate legal definition of punishment, it fails to take into account the complexities associated with why we punish. This chapter examines the primary justifications for punishment, as well as the unintended consequences associated with an overreliance on formal mechanisms of social control.
