Penology

Assessment | Biopsychology | Comparative | Cognitive | Developmental | Language | Individual differences | Personality | Philosophy | Social |
Methods | Statistics | Clinical | Educational | Industrial | Professional items | World psychology |

Other fields of psychology: AI · Computer · Consulting · Consumer · Engineering · Environmental · Forensic · Military · Sport · Transpersonal · Index

---

Criminology and Penology Theories Anomie Differential Association Theory Deviance Labelling Theory Rational Choice Theory Social Control Theory Social Disorganisation Theory Social Learning Theory Strain Theory Subcultural Theory Symbolic Interactionism · Victimology Types of crimes Blue-collar crime · Corporate crime Juvenile crime Organised crime Political crime · Public order crime Public order case law in the U.S. State crime · State-corporate crime White-collar crime Penology Deterrence · Prison Prison reform · Prisoner abuse Prisoners' rights · Rehabilitation Recidivism · Retribution Utilitarianism See also Sociology See also Wikibooks:Social Deviance

Penology (from the Latin poena, "punishment") comprises penitentiary science: that concerned with the processes devised and adopted for the punishment, repression, and prevention of crime, and the treatment of prisoners.

Contemporary penology concerns itself mainly with prison management and criminal rehabilitation. The word seldom applies to theories and practices of punishment in less formal environments such as parenting.

This theory of punishment is based on the notion that punishment is to be inflicted on an offender so as to reform him, or rehabilitate him so as to make his re-integration into society easier. Punishments that are in accordance with this theory are community service, probation orders, and those which entail guidance and aftercare of the offender.

This theory is founded on the belief that one cannot inflict a severe punishment of imprisonment and expect the offender to be reformed and able to re-integrate into society upon release. Although the importance of inflicting punishment on those persons who breach the law, so as to maintain social order, is retained, the importance of rehabilitation is also given priority.

See also

• Correctional institutions
• Criminal justice
• Criminology
• Prisons