If Punishments Work, Why Does Crime Continue?

yesterday

When I was growing up, I used to think that the final solution to crimes or other evil behaviors is punishment.

Looking at it from the surface, people should simply avoid acting bad since they know the consequences for their actions, but then I grew up to see that it's not that simple as I thought. Every adult is aware that crimes like robbery, scams, kidnapping, and the like attract big punishment. At times, some victims spend their entire lives in prison, some are sentenced to death, and other big punishments are given, yet crimes never stop.

People still commit crimes of different colors every now and then. It's a concern, and this brings us to this prompt question, which is, do punishments really work? Are punishments just enough to stop people from robbery? Theft, rape, and the like?

From my perspective, punishments work to some extent; at least there are still individuals who stay away from trouble due to the fear of going to prison, but they are rare. And while these punishments scare some people away from committing crime, there are other factors that affect negatively the way humans behave, which are beyond the fear of the consequences attached.

Take for instance the incidence that happened in my community a few years ago. This young guy was caught several times committing theft. At first, our community chairman came through for him and only gave him a serious warning; it wasn't long before he committed another serious crime, and this time around, he was handed over to the police, and after being detained for some time over there, everyone expected his brain to reset, but sadly, that never happened.

A few months later, he resumed his criminal activities, and some people were saying that the punishment he had received so far wasn't enough to make him quit. But then something happened in the process of deliberately deciding on bigger punishments to give this young guy. It was discovered he was struggling with drug addiction over peer influence.

So you see, his major problem wasn't because he wasn't aware of or scared of the punishments, but the addictions he was struggling with were the real problem he had. It overpowered him far more than the punishments.

That experience was a big lesson, which is that punishments can address crimes but not the reason behind the crime. Even in our different homes, kids can be punished for some bad behaviors, and they will keep repeating them until the main cause of the act is addressed properly. The same thing is applicable to diverse areas of human lives where crimes are commonly seen and practiced repeatedly even with clear legal punishments.

However, I don't mean that punishments should be scrapped; no, our society needs them in order to maintain order. I don't want to imagine a society without rules, laws, and consequences for crimes; it would just make people behave without control, and there would be a lot of chaos for the masses, but then there is a need to understand the root of a problem and then bring a lasting solution.

At the end of the day, punishments will continue to work and help prevent countless crimes from certain people, but then, human beings are difficult to understand. Many people commit crimes because of addictions, poverty, environmental influence, and more.

Maybe we should put more effort into addressing the cause of these crimes rather than punishing the victims; let's say a combination of both, and hopefully, we could start having a significant change in our society.

images was created using chatgpt