What is capital punishment?

the death penalty. Most countries have abolished it.

a requirement to be at home during set hours. It restricts an offender's movements.

Why are fixed fines criticised?

the same fine is a heavy burden for the poor and a small one for the rich. The punishment is unequal in its effect.

What does electronic tagging do?

monitors where the offender is. It makes sure that a curfew is kept.

Why do sociologists see punishment by online vigilantes as a problem?

there is no trial, so innocent people may be targeted and the punishment can be out of proportion. Guilt has not been tested fairly.

Types of punishment and how well they work · Cambridge IGCSE Sociology

In plain words

Societies have tried almost everything on offenders: locking them up, fining them, beating them, sending them away, shaming them, and trying to mend them. The question in the exam is always the same one. Does it work?

10 things to know

Prison keeps offenders away from the public. It is expensive, and many prisoners offend again after release. Critics call prisons "universities of crime".
Community sentencing means unpaid work in the community. Offenders keep their jobs and families and give something back. Some people see it as too soft.
Financial penalties are fines, used for less serious offences. They are cheap to run. A fixed fine hurts the poor far more than the rich.
Rehabilitation programmes offer education, job training and treatment for addiction. They can reduce reoffending. They cost money, and not every offender wants to change.
Capital punishment is the death penalty. It has been abolished in most countries and is still used in some. Supporters see it as retribution and as the strongest deterrent. Opponents point out that the evidence that it deters is weak, and that a mistake can never be put right.
Corporal punishment is physical punishment, such as caning. It is still used in some countries. Opponents say that it breaches human rights.
Exile is sending an offender away from the community or country. Ostracism is exclusion by the community.
Non-custodial sentencing keeps offenders out of prison under restrictions: electronic tagging, which tracks where a person is, curfews, which require them to be at home at set hours, and restraining orders, which ban contact with a named person.
Probation is supervision in the community by an officer, with conditions. A police caution is a formal warning for a minor offence, without going to court.
Social media and vigilante groups: the public sometimes names, shames or punishes people directly. There is no trial, so innocent people can be targeted, and the punishment can be far out of proportion.

Worked example

A 19-year-old is convicted of a first, minor theft. Compare a short prison sentence with a community sentence.

Prison: he loses his job and home, and mixes with experienced criminals. On release, he is more likely to offend again.
Community sentence: he keeps his job and family ties, and repays the community through unpaid work.
For a first, minor offence, the community sentence is more likely to prevent reoffending, and it costs far less.

Tips and tricks

To judge "effectiveness", ask which aim the punishment is meant to serve, and then whether it achieves it. Prison incapacitates well and rehabilitates badly.
Reoffending rates are the usual evidence. Use the phrase.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Types of punishment and how well they work: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

What is capital punishment?
- a fine
- unpaid work
- the death penalty (the answer)
- a police warning
Most countries have abolished it.
What is a curfew?
- a ban on driving
- a requirement to be at home during set hours (the answer)
- a type of fine
- a prison sentence
It restricts an offender's movements.
Why are fixed fines criticised?
- the same fine is a heavy burden for the poor and a small one for the rich (the answer)
- they are too expensive to collect
- they are used for murder
- they put offenders in prison
The punishment is unequal in its effect.
What does electronic tagging do?
- gives the offender a job
- cancels the sentence
- sends the offender abroad
- monitors where the offender is (the answer)
It makes sure that a curfew is kept.
Why do sociologists see punishment by online vigilantes as a problem?Stretch
- it is always too mild
- it is carried out by the courts
- there is no trial, so innocent people may be targeted and the punishment can be out of proportion (the answer)
- it is a form of rehabilitation
Guilt has not been tested fairly.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

3 questions, 10 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Types of punishment and how well they work

Cambridge IGCSE Sociology 0495 · 10 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

What is meant by the term "probation"?[2]
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The supervision of an offender in the community by an official, under conditions, as an alternative to prison or after release.
I got this one
Describe two types of non-custodial punishment.[4]
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Any two, each described: community sentencing, unpaid work in the community; fines, a financial penalty; electronic tagging, which monitors the offender's location; curfews, which require the offender to be home at set times; restraining orders, which ban contact with a person; probation, supervision by an officer.
I got this one
Explain one argument for and one argument against prison as a punishment.[4]
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For: it protects the public by keeping dangerous offenders away from society, and it punishes them. Against: reoffending rates are high, which suggests that it fails to reform (or: it is very expensive; or: prisoners learn from other criminals).
I got this one

Answers: Types of punishment and how well they work

1. The supervision of an offender in the community by an official, under conditions, as an alternative to prison or after release.
2. Any two, each described: community sentencing, unpaid work in the community; fines, a financial penalty; electronic tagging, which monitors the offender's location; curfews, which require the offender to be home at set times; restraining orders, which ban contact with a person; probation, supervision by an officer.
3. For: it protects the public by keeping dangerous offenders away from society, and it punishes them. Against: reoffending rates are high, which suggests that it fails to reform (or: it is very expensive; or: prisoners learn from other criminals).