PT105.S3.P2.Q14 > Analytics

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Many of us can conceive of penalties that seem disproportionate to the crimes they are intended to punish. ███

Intro Topic · Concept of punishment that fits the crime

Examples · of disproportionate punishment

Probation for murder is too light and long prison sentence for shoplifting is too severe.

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Question · Where do our intuitions about the appropriateness of punishments come from?

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Potential Answer · Two rationales for punishment

First Rationale · Social-benefit

Punishment is justified because society benefits from deterring would be criminals.

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Second (Controversial) Rationale · Retribution

Punishment is not justified by benefit to society. Instead, punishment is justified by the severity of the crime; what is appropriate or just.

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Problem · with social-benefit rationale

The societal benefit of deterrence can sometimes justify punishments that intuitively feel too severe. Example of shoplifter punishment.

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Solution · retribution is the better rationale

The concept of appropriateness (absent in social-benefit rationale) is what accounts for the intuition of proportionality in punishment. It's not about beneficial punishment. It's about just punishment.

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Critique of and Alternate Solution · Intuition can be justified with social-benefit rationale

The retributivist notions of appropriateness, proportionality, and justice can be reframed as balancing benefit to society against cost to the individual.

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Actual Answer / Main Point · The retributivist intuitions are grounded in social-benefit rationale

Passage Style

Single position

14.

As described in the second ██████████ ███ ██████ █████████ ███ █████████ █████████ ██ ████ ██████████ ████ █████ ███ ██ ███ █████████ ███████████

The correctness of ██ ██████ ███████ ███ ██ ███ ████████████ ███ ██ ███ ████████ █████████

Supported. Under this rationale, the consequences (benefit to society) aren’t a consideration; what matters is what’s fair given the severity of the crime.

64%

The correctness of ██ ██████ ███████ ███ ██ ███ ████████████ ███ ██ ████ ███████ █████ ████████

Not supported, because the retributive rationale depends on what’s fair given the severity of the crime; what society “deems correct” is not a consideration.

The correctness of ██ ██████ ███████ ██████ ██ ███ ████████████ ███ ██████ ██ ███ ████████ █████████

Anti-supported, because the retributive rationale, as described by P2, doesn’t take into account consequences (social benefit).

The correctness of ██ ██████ ███████ ██████ ██ ███ ████████████ ███ ██████ ██ ███ █████████ ██████████

Anti-supported, because the retributive rationale, as described by P2, doesn’t take into account consequences (social benefit).

The correctness of ██ ██████ ███████ ████████ ██ ███ █████████████

Anti-supported, because the retributive rationale, as described by P2, doesn’t take into account consequences (social benefit).

18%

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PrepTest 105 - Section 3 - Passage 2 - Question 14

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