The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #135123   Message #3080401
Posted By: Janie
22-Jan-11 - 09:38 PM
Thread Name: BS: The concept of 'punishment'
Subject: RE: BS: The concept of 'punishment'
Thinking of the posts made by LH and Bill D -

I agree that punishment and consequences are closely intertwined, but separate concepts. In application, however, they often are not separate at all.

Punishment involves value judgement. It is about another person or a society deciding some one deserves to suffer for what they have done.

Consequence is value neutral. Consequences may be positive or negative, intentional or unintentional.

When one knows that the consequence of getting caught breaking a law is punishment, then punishment is also a negative consequence.

At the societal level, imposed punishment, consequences, or both for serious crimes are also intended as social deterrents

Loss of freedom is a consequence. The conditions of life in an institution where one is placed to experience that consequence vary, depending on on many factors. When those conditions are dangerous and brutal, they may be punishment as well as consequence, though this is not inherently so., and perhaps not fully consciously intended by a particular society.   

In the USA, changes in the penal code, the ability to hold employers legally liable in civil court for monetary damages for the actions of employees, and technologies and data bases that make it very easy and inexpensive to do criminal background checks on prospective employees have resulted in the consequences of going astray being so long term and so difficult to overcome once out of prison or off of probation for a youthful felony offense, that the end result is both punishment and consequence beyond what our society actually intended, and which operates to the detriment of our society.