Legal Definitions - retributive punishment

Retributive punishment is a type of punishment that is intended to satisfy the community's sense of revenge or indignation that is provoked by injustice. It is punishment that is given to a person who has violated the law as a form of retaliation.

For example, if someone commits a murder, they may be sentenced to life in prison or even the death penalty as a form of retributive punishment. The punishment is meant to satisfy the community's sense of justice and to make the offender pay for their crime.

Another example of retributive punishment is when someone is fined for breaking a traffic law. The punishment is meant to make the offender pay for their mistake and to deter them from breaking the law again in the future.

Retributive punishment is different from other types of punishment, such as reformative punishment, which is intended to change the character of the offender, or deterrent punishment, which is intended to deter the offender and others from committing crimes.