Final answer:
Punishing an offender to prevent future crimes is called incapacitation, which aims to reduce recidivism. Restorative justice focuses on repair and reconciliation instead of simply inhibiting the offender's ability to commit further crimes. Approaches differ in effectiveness based on the offender's risk level and type of crime.
Step-by-step explanation:
The idea that punishing an offender will prevent them from committing the same crime again aligns with the concept of incapacitation, one of the five basic approaches to controlling crime. Incapacitation, as a criminal justice strategy, seeks to reduce recidivism by removing offenders from the community, typically through imprisonment. It is based on the premise that by putting criminals in jail, they are prevented from committing further crimes due to their physical inability to do so.
In contrast, restorative justice supporters may not necessarily argue that punishment alone is effective in preventing future offenses. Rather, they believe in bringing together offenders, victims, and communities to repair the harm and reconcile. Their focus is more on creating resolutions that satisfy all parties involved and on rehabilitation than on simply incapacitating the offender.
While some evidence suggests that continued incarceration can reduce crime, it is important to distinguish between strategies that are effective for high-risk offenders and those like drug offenses or non-violent misdemeanors, where alternative approaches may lead to better outcomes. Restorative justice, in particular, has been found to be cost-effective and to result in higher victim satisfaction, although it does not guarantee that an offender will not reoffend.