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Comment by ponsin | Hacker News Reader

Retribution is needed to prevent vigilante justice and to cause fear to potential criminals. Remember the story of the drunk driver who killed several people in a crash [0]? He was "punished" by going to a club med like rehab facility where he was taught about the wrongs of his actions by horse back riding. Imagine if all drunk drivers were punished that way?

0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Couch

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> He was "punished" by going to a club med like rehab facility where he was taught about the wrongs of his actions by horse back riding.

And you read that where?

I am not familiar with the case you are speaking of, and often times people over state what happens in minimum security facilities

also I see you one of many that confuse rehabilitation with giving people a slap on the hand, or "club med" type of facilities.

Retribution is in no way needed to prevent Vigilantism (Vigilantism is never justified or justice). Actual justice, and restitution prevents that just fine.

Rehabilitation has many aspects, and in the case of addiction it would include a medical and psychological treatment for that addiction

There has never been any study that shows tossing a person in a prison with no treatment does anything to solve the underlying issue which just leads to recidivism, in the case of a drunk driver, it is likely they they were caught many many times leading up to their imprisonment, this highlights the failure of the retribution system and where a rehabilitation system would achieve a better outcome

Added source of the case to the OP. And yes, retribution is designed to prevent vigilantism. As that is psychology I can't really give a better source than [0]. Obviously retribution is not meant to go by itself, but along with rehabilitation.

0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retributive_justice#Purposes

>>American who at age 16

And you believe we should not treat minors different than Adults? this is another area where i disagree with many, as I 100% disagree with this modern trend of prosecuting teens as adults

> And you believe we should not treat minors different than Adults?

Yes

Why? Do you lack the understanding of how the human mind develops?

I am curious also, do you support the trend of digging up 30 year old comments from peoples past and holding them to account for them, aka Cancel Culture?

I am wondering is this mentality is linked

I am a firm believer in second chances, automatic expungement of criminal records, and various other things that do not hang past mistakes over peoples head for the rest of their lives

One of those is having a separate system for juvenile's as when understand impulse control does not really form in humans until around 20-23 years of age.

I would like science to inform our justice system, not lizard brain emotions for revenge

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