Convenor: Valerij Zisman (Freiburg)

Punishment theory in philosophy and law is interested in the justification of the state’s imposition of punishments such as fines and imprisonment on people who break the law. Social psychology and sociology are interested in what drives laypeople’s decision to punish or the institutions within which punishment is inflicted. While much of the research in these areas was for some time focused on two paradigmatic theories of punishment—retributivism and utilitarianism—the most recent research begins to appreciate much more the plurality of punishment motives that drive laypeople, institutions, and philosophers in their justifications of criminal punishment. Amongst these motives are reparation, fairness, communication of censure towards the offender and respect towards the victim, and restorative justice. This workshop aims to strengthen collaborative work by bringing together researchers from the different disciplines.