What is deterrence as described in the material?

What is deterrence as described in the material?

• A. Making an example of someone.
• B. Deterrence is preventing crime by rehabilitation.
• C. A legal action challenging imprisonment.
• D. A kind of physical search.

Answer: (A)

Deterrence is the idea that punishment aims to discourage crime by making an example of the offender, so others will think twice before committing offenses. This aligns with general deterrence, where the punishment shown to the public serves as a warning to avoid similar behavior. The other options describe rehabilitation (helping someone stop offending), a legal challenge to imprisonment (a procedural remedy), and a type of search, none of which capture the signaling purpose of deterrence. Making an example of someone is the clearest description of using punishment to deter crime.

Deterrence is the idea that punishment aims to discourage crime by making an example of the offender, so others will think twice before committing offenses. This aligns with general deterrence, where the punishment shown to the public serves as a warning to avoid similar behavior. The other options describe rehabilitation (helping someone stop offending), a legal challenge to imprisonment (a procedural remedy), and a type of search, none of which capture the signaling purpose of deterrence. Making an example of someone is the clearest description of using punishment to deter crime.