The Punishment of Criminals

Liberal perspective on crime resents the punishment of criminals using uncouth means and say criminals should be punished using the right procedures and the government has an obligation to protect the rights of subordinate groups. Liberal view of punishment of crime emphasizes the rights of the accused, humane punishment, and rehabilitation of those convicted of a crime. These liberalists viewed that crime was as a product of poverty and economic disparity. They thought the society should respond to the behavior of criminals with education and offering opportunities in order to prevent future recurrences of crime and training while the criminal served his jail term (Hardisty. 2010: par 6).

The conservative view of human nature as evil and their desire for an orderly society dictate the policies and rules that guide them. Conservatives view the liberal’s way of handling crime as "soft." The Conservatives tend to believe in limiting the expansion of individual rights on social issues and tend to oppose social programs that they see promoting individuals on the basis of minority status rather than merit. They provided for a law and order system which severely punished for example by hanging the wrong doer to make him pay and be an example to any other contemplating wrong doer (Hardisty, 2010: par 2).

Socialist method of handling crime is more interesting. The first option is not deprivation of the person’s liberty. They follow criteria of protecting the society and rehabilitating the offender. The first option is community service or attend a community based training. For those who were hard social misfits it suggests social censure and small offenders are sentenced by communal tribunals that are made up by the offender’s peers. Deprivation of liberty is the last resort. Unlike in the capitalist where they deprive freedom to rehabilitate and the hypocrisy of the court system to be independent yet they are controlled by the state (Holmes, 2006: par 17).