How has criminal punishment changed in the last 20 years?

Answer 1

The legal system has changed drastically in 20 years. It has become a lot less fulfilling when it comes to making sure that the right people are prosecuted. Nowadays, anyone can be arrested for anything that many people think shouldn't be against the law. There are also many more ways to gather evidence than there was 20 years ago.

Answer 2

There are many potential answers to this, however the easiest answer is that (at least in most of the world) crime is punished more based upon internment rather than physical pain. For example, it was common in ancient times all the way up until several hundred years ago to cut off a hand for stealing or to remove body parts as punishment (for example, if one were to put out someone's eye, then that person's eye might be taken as punishment.) Also, physical punishments (that some would call "torture") was more common in the past. This might include punishing people with whippings, public beatings or putting them in stocks (a wooden device which kept a person's head and hands immobilized). Generally speaking, in more modern times crimes are punished without physical torture by either imprisoning people for a set amount of time depending on the crime, or by execution if the crime is serious enough. Another key difference worthy of note is that in modern times, there are very strict guidelines for which punishments fit which crimes. For example, certain crimes can carry punishments of "no less than" a certain amount of days or years in prison and "no more than" a certain amount of time. Judges are required by law to adhere to this. In older times, it was often up to whomever was in charge of handing out punishment to decide what would happen to the accused. Though there were some guidelines for punishment in the "old days," many times punishments were very flexible. A judge or magistrate ore nobleman might be allowed to say, for example, "Cut off his hand for stealing" or "let him go free" and it was completely up to his judgement.

Answer 3

In the last 20 years, criminal punishment has shifted towards alternatives to incarceration such as community service, probation, and restorative justice programs. There has been a growing recognition of the need for rehabilitation and reintegration rather than pure punishment. Additionally, there has been a focus on addressing disparities in the justice system, with efforts to reduce mass incarceration and implement more equitable sentencing practices.

Answer 4

the punishment has changed by increasing the jail term