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Every society has a punishment code for offenders which varies with the degree and intention of the committed crime.The term CRIME brings with it several definitions ranging from innocuous shop lifting to a string of brutal murders.Also it differs in its aftermaths with loss of life being far more serious than the loss of property ,environment pollution and likes.It is the very flexibility of the term and the nimbleness of the punishments attached to each crime that adds to its complexities.
Petty thefts like shoplifting are crimes but their extent might effect just a small percent of society,that too on a very small monetary scale.Violating the rules of mother nature and other Environment crmes like pollution are different altogether in the sense that they effect the surroundings in a more subtle but dangerous way.Such crimes warrant strict rules and fines .
Crimes of medium intensity include perjuries where a person might be speaking a lie and ruining the life of an innocent victim.But still such crimes include the sort of punishment lesser in content and form than that of a hardcore criminal.
If we pick up the far end nuance of this spectrum,we find terrorism-the extremist movements which has engulfed more or less every country and has its noxious effects felt all over the world.We all are familiar with the 9/11 disaster and its still haunting repercussions .Such crimes are unpardonable and what a person recieves as a punishment is still less than what he should.
The intent of person committing the crime also determines what degree of punishment he should get.For eg. intent of murder without any pragmatic results is enough to send a person to jail whereas,a murder committed in ones self defense is relatively less grave .A person may commit perjury under pressure from sources giving threat to his own life.In such times,it is the society and judiciary who has to do the understanding.
Though the social contract is broken during crime a person does knowingly,but the degree and intention of the crime should be taken into account before divesting the criminal of his/her civil rights or the right to benefit from his or her own labour.Such an extreme verdict is not applicable or even fair to the society esp. in a democracy,besides,it also violates human right.If the extent of punishment is such severe in all cases,petty criminals would be embittered and will eventually resort to more violence-perpetuating the very antithesis of the objective of punishment.The punishment thus delivered to a criminal should be in sync with the degree and intent of his/her crime for it to be effective and serve its purpose,that is to restrain the spread of evil.
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