Punishment and deterrence concepts

Punishment is a response imposed after someone commits a wrong, aiming to penalize and discourage repeat offenses. Deterrence, on the other hand, involves measures designed to prevent future crimes by making the consequences clear and undesirable. While punishment focuses on penalizing the offender, deterrence aims to dissuade individuals broadly from engaging in harmful behavior—either by setting examples (general deterrence) or discouraging the offender specifically (special deterrence). Both concepts work together in systems like criminal justice to promote societal order and safety.