Ultimate Responsibility: we’re blameworthy or

we deserve credit

Responsibility: dependable, capable

We don’t create ourselves.

If we don’t create ourselves,
then we’re not responsible for the way we are,
if we’re not responsible for the way we are,
then we’re not responsible for what we do.

Voluntary: you choose to do/intention

non-voluntary: you don’t choose. no intention

What is retribution?

The suffering of the perpetrator is an end in itself.

Why do people want retribution?

The pleasure center of the brain is active when we

see retribution…8 months old…evolution
Is retribution as a punishment just?

If we’re not responsible for what we do, is

retribution as a punishment just?

Group 1: Even though we’re not responsible, we

still need to be ethical. We still need to behave
ethically. We should be motivated by values, not
responsibility. Values are created by a wide-
range of complex forces. Einstein didn’t believe
in responsibility, but he still tried to follow his
passion.

Group 2: Benefits of punishment…non-violent

people become violent. Prison is a school for
crime. People think punishment is for
deference…to stop scare people from committing
crimes…but deference DOESN’T WORK. Death
penalty increases murder rate…if prisons
psychologically destroy the inhabitants, then they
won’t be able to adjust back to society and can
easily return to crime.
Group 3: We should educate people who commit
crimes. The aim is to heal, not to harm. There is
a prison in Norway that focuses on educating the
prisoners. They use restorative justice: when
perpetrators and victims talk together. The victim
has the opportunity to explain how the crime has
impacted their life and how they feel. The
perpetrator has the opportunity to describe the
circumstances and why they did the crime. They
have the chance to apologize and think of other
solutions. This approach has been showed to
have good results. There is another prison that
has creative writing, academic discussions, and
other lively activities for the offenders to rebuild
themselves and become a better person. “CPS”
Collaborative, Proactive, Solutions—instead of
blaming young people for their destructive
behavior, we should try to understand the source
of the problem!

Group 4: Root Causes of Crime. The main reason

is because of empty lives and social inequality.
High rates of inequality are associated with:
mental illness, child bullying, drug use, teenage
pregnancy, illiteracy, and distrust. There is also a
lot of social inequality among ethnic minorities in
America, who get less education, less income,
and are treated as lesser people socially…and are
discriminated against. Some businesses also use
prisoners to do their work and don’t pay fair labor
wages. Prisons cost the same amount as
universities…why don’t we build more
universities? Dutch government have been
shutting down prisons because of a lack of crime.
We can’t be tough on crime without being tough
on inequality. When there’s a big gap in
inequality there’s a higher amount of prisons.

Group 5: Private law comes from privilege…

trying to protect privileges. Who decides what
counts as a crime? Who decides which criminals
are held accountable? Crime and punishment are
connected to the law…the law says what we can
and can’t do and how we’re punished. Law
defends the privileges of those with power against
those without power. In the past, there have been
bad laws that oppress people…take the example
of slavery in America. The people of the colonies
of Europe didn’t make laws to exploit
themselves… the rights people enjoy today were
WON by people who CHALLENGED the unjust
laws! Protesters. Activists…others…

Responsibility

Ultimate responsibility: blameworthy, credit-

worthy

Other meaning of responsibility: dependable,

capable

We don’t create ourselves,

if we don’t create ourselves,
we’re not responsible for the way we are,
if we’re not responsible for the way we are,
then when we’re not responsible for what we do.

voluntary
non-voluntary

What is retribution?
The suffering of the perpetrator is an end in itself.

Why do people want retribution?

Natural selection—our brain

8 month old babies…get pleasure for seeing
retribution.

Is retribution as a punishment just?

If we’re not responsible for our actions,

is retribution as a punishment just?

Group 1: if we think about responsibility, it’s

normal to think about irresponsibility too… in
this chapter, he said we usually focus on
responsibility to achieve our goals, but value is
the most important thing…ethics are based on
values, not on responsibility. If we focus on
responsibility, we can actually miss our goals. He
gives an example of Einstein, who didn’t believe
in responsibility. This, however, didn’t stop him
from pursuing his life’s passion. Responsibility is
an illusion…we feel like it’s there, but it’s not.
Group 2: when you think about punishment…this
chapter talks about what happens after
punishment. There is “deterrence”. The logic is
that a punishment isn’t just about the person who
does the bad thing. It’s also about preventing
other people from doing bad things, because they
don’t want to get punished. That’s “deterrence”.
Imprisonment doesn’t reduce the probability of
committing crimes again…we think that if you go
to prison, you won’t want to do the crime again…
but this isn’t true. Severe punishments actually
increase violent crimes. Death penalty and other
brutal punishments haven’t been proven to
actually prevent crimes. When prisoners are in
prison…they suffer physically and
psychologically, so when they’re released, it’s
harder for them to adapt to society, and they’re
more likely to commit crimes.

Group 3: punishment shouldn’t be about

suffering. It should be about rehabilitation.
There is a jail in Norway that focuses on
education…and gives prisoners life skills. We
should also focus on restorative justice, where
victims and perpetrators meet and express their
feelings and explain how the situation affected
their life…it can lead to more comprehensive
solutions.

Group 4: Root causes of crime! Biggest factor:

inequality. History of neglect also big factor, as
well as abuse and sexual exploitation. Economic
inequality is a big factor. A less equal society is
more violent. Crime is like a symptom of a
disease within society. We need to solve the
bigger societal problem.

Group 5: Who decided the punishments for

crimes? What is crime? The legal framework
creates crime and the punishments. The legal
framework defends the privileges and prejudices
of those with power again the right and interests
of those without it… Private law is shaped and
interpreted by a narrow set of elite interests. It
was created to protect privilege and wealth? The
rights we enjoy today were gained by fighting
against private laws. Even now, many protestors
are trying to protest, unjust private laws, and
they’re arrested because they’re seen as a threat
against national security.

If we’re not responsible for what we do, why do we

do good things or bad things?

or

Do you think Martinez would approve of how Parami

punishes students? Why or why not?

Tuesday 9 AM

 Private Law [62-65]

 Root Causes [50-56]
 Beyond Punishment [45-49]
 The benefits of punishment [40-44]
 A dangerous idea? [31-34]