Justification for Punishment: why do we punish?

Have you ever heard your parents say this before, "Go sit in the corner and think about what you did." Are your parents punishing you for doing wrong or are they trying to keep you from repeating a wrong act? Justification for punishment is essential in explaining whether the punishment is a retributive or utilitarian and if its intent is valid or not. A retributive viewpoint is backward-looking in that punishment is only administered if …

…intent of the punishment and what the effects will be on the offender and on society. Justification for punishment, whether utilitarian or retributive, aids us in evaluating the validity of the punishment itself and whether or not it is just. Works Cited Feinberg, Joel. "The Expressive Function of Punishment." The Monist (1958) pp.27. Feinberg, Joel. "What, If Anything, Justifies Legal Punishment?" Princeton University Press (1970). pp. 614-616. Quinton, A.M. "On Punishment." Analysis, Stanford University Press (1954). pp.6