The Limits of Retributivism

IF 0.4 Q2 Social Sciences
Jacob Bronsther
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

“Limiting retributivists” believe that the vagueness of retributive proportionality represents a moral opportunity. They maintain that the state can permissibly harm an offender for the sake of crime prevention and other nonretributive goods, so long as the sentence resides within the broad range of retributively “not undeserved” punishments. However, in this essay, I argue that retributivism can justify only the least harmful sentence within such a range. To impose a sentence beyond this minimum would be cruel from a retributive perspective. It would harm an offender to a greater degree without thereby increasing the realization of our retributivist ends. Thus, if our nonretributive policy aims required a harsher sentence, the offender’s retributive desert could not provide the rationale, and we would need another theory that explains why, if at all, harming an offender as a means of realizing the desired nonretributive good is permissible.
报应主义的局限性
“限制报复主义”认为,报复比例的模糊性代表了一种道德机会。他们坚持认为,国家可以允许为了预防犯罪和其他非报复性的目的而伤害罪犯,只要刑罚是在报复性的“不应”惩罚的广泛范围内。然而,在这篇文章中,我认为报应主义只能为这个范围内危害最小的判决辩护。从报复的角度来看,超过这个最低限度的量刑是残忍的。它会对罪犯造成更大程度的伤害,而不会因此增加我们报复主义目标的实现。因此,如果我们的非报复性政策目标需要更严厉的判决,那么罪犯的报复性应得不能提供理由,我们需要另一种理论来解释为什么,如果有的话,伤害罪犯作为实现期望的非报复性善的手段是允许的。
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期刊介绍: Focused on examinations of crime and punishment in domestic, transnational, and international contexts, New Criminal Law Review provides timely, innovative commentary and in-depth scholarly analyses on a wide range of criminal law topics. The journal encourages a variety of methodological and theoretical approaches and is a crucial resource for criminal law professionals in both academia and the criminal justice system. The journal publishes thematic forum sections and special issues, full-length peer-reviewed articles, book reviews, and occasional correspondence.
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