PUNISHMENT

Timism of the day: Punishment doesn't work. Historically 4500 years ago King Hammurabi of Mesopotamia was the first to write laws that included puisnment. Although his intentions were considered humanitarian, "an eye for an eye" per se, punishment has proven NOT to work.

The reason we do it, is predominantly because we’ve been conditioned (brainwashed) to do so. We feel as if we must do something, so we punish. Whatever word we use to sound less barbaric, consequence, natural consequence, sentence, responsibility, penalty etc… the intention is to inflict substantial pain or inconvenience. An we call this humanitarian?

The philosophy behind this is that people do not like pain (which I agree with) but then they continue to say that anyone who is rational or sane would not do something if they knew they were going to be put in pain, inconvenienced or punished. Thus, if we have done something considered wrong by societies standards, we must be irrational or insane. This is the basic belief that drives our criminal justice system.

The truth about punishment is that it has no therapeutic or rehabilitative affect. If punishment worked, then why is over 70% who are incarcerated, there for two or more offences? If anything, punishment makes people angry,or angrier, sneaky, or sneaker, paranoid, creates an Us vs. Them mentality, and makes one better at not getting caught.

Fact is, punishment creates a better criminal. If one is not a criminal, just throw them in jail or prison and they will likely become one. This is called the criminogenic affect, and does not impede recidivism whatsoever. We are who we rub shoulders with.

The reason punishment doesn’t work is because it is not an absolute, meaning, it does not happen each and everytime. This is because we justify and rationalize what we do and give ourselves situational permission to do something that is typically not within our values, if we even know what our values are. Most people have not even asked themselves that question. What are my values? Values are imperative to know, because it is the foundation of truth by which you live by. If you don’t know your values and don't have them prioritized, it’s no wonder why you don’t like the way you’re feeling and acting. Everytime we step away from our values, we rob ourselves of our happiness. Although diametrically opposed, Mother Theresa and Adolf Hitler were driven by their values. They actually had more in common than one may think. (More on that later)

Another aspect of the process is that we do this thing called Cops and Robbers thinking, which is the thinking about not getting caught, deem it safe, and do it. If we knew that we were going to get caught, we would not do the deed. Punishment not only doesn’t work, but is counterproductive because we never think we are going to get caught. The only way that we can change this is to become internally locused. When we think of getting caught, we think external, or of getting caught by others. Internally however, the only person that can catch you doing cops and robbers thinking, is you.

Punishment does work. So i lied. Internal punishment does work though, not external. If you catch yourself thinking about not getting caught, you must quickly and efficiently punish that thought. This is the descriminating difference between those who are offenders and those who are not, and those who become criminals and those who don’t, and those who re-offend and those who will stop. Punishment doesn’t stop anything. It is a hindrance, an annoyance, a deterrent, a prevention, and it may slow us down a bit, but it doesn’t stop anything, in fact, it will make you worse. That is, unless you make a commitment to become the kind of person that is internally locused. This is not motivation, but inspiration. Who are we when people aren’t looking? What would we do if we knew for a fact that we would not get caught? When we ask the right questions, we will get the right answers.

Think you’re not guilty? Do you cheat on your taxes? Do you have a police radio or a radar deterrent or detector? Do you act like you’re on a diet, but have a stash of goodies somewhere. Do you act one way at church yet another at home. Do we lead two seperate lives? This is only robbing you of your own happines. You are what you really are when no one is looking. tim