Goals of Punishment - Essay Example

The goal of punishing individuals for offenses they commit is to ensure that they do not repeat the same offense. In other words, the main purpose for punishment is deterrence, so that individuals get to understand the harm they have caused and desist from doing so again. While this has often been the case, in many instances, those who are punished, for example by being sent to prison, tend to end up committing the same offenses for which they had been convicted. To ensure that crime of all kinds are deterred, new and innovative ways have been developed to punish individuals who break the law and endanger public safety.

Among these have been punishments aimed at shaming individuals into avoiding to commit crimes which they had committed before (Word, 2007). An example of these shaming punishments has been the requirement for first time DUI offenders to wear a yellow license plate when they are on suspension. This requirement has ensured that the rates of imprisonment for DUI offenders, which takes a huge chunk off state budgets, have been reduced. It has been found that this is the most cost effective way for the achievement of deterrence as well as the satisfaction for the demands of retribution.

While this requirement had been legislated in the 1960s; it was rarely used until the state of Ohio declared it mandatory for all those found committing the DUI offense. One would say that this is a reasonable punishment because it achieves the goal of punishing the individual through being exposed to the public throughout his or her suspension period. The shame derived from this exposure ensures that the individual involved does not repeat the same offense. In fact, the fear of going through the same experience for a second time will act as deterrence from committing future offenses.

This measure has seen a level of success in the last few years as seen through the reduction of the number of restricted number plates from over 10000 in the first year of it implementation to 5270 a year later.In the New York area of Bronx, the most frequently used method of deterrence to crime is the stop and frisk method. This is the case where police officers stop anyone whom they suspect of having criminal intentions and searching them. Despite the good intentions that were intended when this practice was instituted, it has come to be extremely unpopular with the residents, especially those from minority groups.

Statistics show that while African Americans only make up 23% of New Yorkers, they are the victims of 53% of the stop and frisk program. This is because a majority of the people stopped tends to be from minorities and the police officers often use force against them if they display any sign of resistance (MacDonald, 2013). While this practice was considered to be the best way to deter crime in the Bronx, it seems not to be as effective as thought because a majority of those people stopped have not been found with anything suspicious on them.

In fact, in only 10% of the did the officers report doing so due to the suspicion of violent activity from the individuals.In conclusion, while humiliation can be an effective form of punishment and deterrence, it has to be strictly managed to ensure that the rights of individuals are not infringed. While thismethod seems to work in cases of DUI in the state of Ohio, in New York, it has come to have the opposite effect. In Ohio, the program has the support of the community with a minimal number of dissenting voices.

In New York, however, this practice, especially that of stop and frisk, has come under intense criticism, since the police officers involved are considered to be discriminatory in their selection of the so called suspicious characters.ReferencesMacDonald, H. (Jan 24 2013) "Courts v. Cops." Wall Street Journal Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324039504578259960385659952.html.Word, R. (Nov 04 2007). "Better than Jail Time? some Judges Try Unusual Sentences; several Jurists Think Public Humiliation -- Usually Making the Offender Stand Outside with a Sign -- is a More Effective Punishment.

" Los Angeles Times: Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2007/nov/04/news/adna-sentences4