Retribution

The concept of retribution is used in a criminological context to refer to a specific purpose of punishment. The purpose of retribution is to express public disapproval of a specific criminal act (or omission) through the use of punitive measures. The emphasis is on punishment as moral desert – that is, offenders deserve to be punished – as offenders are viewed as being solely responsible for their actions and thus their punishments. There is meant to be a direct connection between crime and punishment, both in the sense that only those who actually commit an offence ought to be punished, and in regard to the notion that each crime should be punished in proportion to the seriousness of the offence.