Comment by killerdroid99 on The Game of Antonyms · 2024-03-03T22:21:52.950Z · LW · GW

You are wrong to claim that punishment negates crime, or that punishment is the ultimate antonym to crime. Punishment is a response to crime, not a solution to it. Punishment does not undo the harm caused by crime, nor does it prevent future crimes from happening. Punishment may have different purposes, such as retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, or restitution, but none of these can guarantee the elimination of crime. In fact, punishment may sometimes increase crime, by creating resentment, alienation, or recidivism among the offenders, or by legitimizing violence, coercion, or corruption among the enforcers. Therefore, punishment is not a negation of crime, but rather a continuation of it.