IELTS Vocabulary 12

 

The Purpose of State Punishment

Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage:

 

 

 

Wrongdoer – deterrent – law-abiding – death penalty

misdeeds – reform – humane – rehabilitate

barbaric – retribution – crime doesn’t pay – corporal punishment

What is the purpose of punishment? One purpose is obviously to …………(a)………… the offender, to correct the offender’s moral attitudes and anti social behaviour and to …………(a)………… him or her, which means to assist the offender to return to normal life as a useful member of the community. Punishment can also be seen as a …………(a)………… , because it warns other people of what will happen if they are tempted to break the law and so prevents them from doing so. However, a third purpose of punishment lies, perhaps, in society’s desire for …………(a)………… , which basically means revenge. In other words, don’t we feel that a …………(a)………… should suffer for his …………(a)………… ? The form of punishment should also be considered. On the one hand, some believe that we should ‘make the punishment fit the crime’. Those who steal from others should be deprived of their own property to ensure that criminals are left in no doubt that ” …………(a)…………” For those who attack others, …………(a)………… should be used. Murderers should be subject to the principle ‘an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ and automatically receive the (i)_. On the other hand, it is said that such views are unreasonable, cruel and …………(a)………… and that we should show a more …………(a)………… attitude to punishment and try to understand why a person commits a crime and how society has failed to enable him to live a respectable, …………(a)………… life.

Answers:

a) reform b) rehabilitate c) deterrent d) retribution e) wrongdoer f) misdeeds

g) crime doesn’t pay h) corporal punishment i) death penalty j) barbaric k) humane I) law-abiding