Wide context

Complete PICLE corpus of essays by Polish advanced EFL students (330,000)

/^t/Punishment is an infliction of pain, suffering, discomfort or death on a person who has infringed the law, rule or custom of the community. In ancient times it was exacted on the basis of the "eye-for-an-eye" rule and was designed only to satisfy the thirst for revenge. Today we claim to be a more civilized society and design punishments not to revenge, but to reform. The major aspect of any punishment is to create the possibilities for the offenders to reeducate themselves, and, having served their sentences, to start new lives, and be useful to the community. Capital punishment is devised exclusively to eradicate people who have committed a mistake, however gross it might have been. It is ultimate, it does not give a second chance. In this respect it fails to meet the requirements of a civilized punishment.