Final answer:
Punitive damages are awarded in a legal context to punish the defendant for egregious behavior and to deter similar conduct, distinct from compensatory damages which are intended to make the plaintiff whole.
Step-by-step explanation:
A type of damage award not intended to make the plaintiff whole, but to act as an additional deterrent to the type of conduct the plaintiff engaged in is punitive damages. Punitive damages are not compensatory, which means they are not intended to compensate the plaintiff for loss or injury. Instead, they are awarded in addition to compensatory damages to punish the defendant for particularly egregious or harmful behavior and to serve as a warning to others against such conduct. The justice system employs punitive measures, with historic instances showing a range of practices from medieval punishments to modern legal standards which prohibit cruel and unusual punishment under the Constitution. It is critically important that the justice system uses enlightened methods to handle crime and punishment, ensuring due process and fairness as exemplified by the prohibitions against bills of attainder and ex post facto laws.