Which concept is designed to discourage crime through the threat of punishment?

• A. Deterrence
• B. Retribution
• C. Courts
• D. Formal Punishment

Answer: (A)

Deterrence is the idea that people are discouraged from committing crimes because they fear punishment. When the likelihood of punishment is clear and timely, the expected cost of offending can outweigh any perceived benefit, preventing crime before it happens. There are two aspects: general deterrence, which aims to deter others in society, and specific deterrence, which aims to stop the individual offender from reoffending. This differs from punishment aimed at justice and desert (retribution), which is about paying for wrongdoing rather than preventing future crimes. It also differs from the courts (the institutions that decide cases) and from formal punishment (the penalties themselves). The concept described is deterrence.