Legal Dictionary of Pakistan

Quick lookup for English, Urdu, and Latin legal terms used in Pakistani jurisprudence.

Deterrence

n. The act or process of discouraging certain behavior, particularly by fear; esp.,as a goal of criminal law, the prevention of criminal behavior by fear of punishment. -deter, ub. - deterrent, adj. Cf. REHABILITATION (1); RETRIBUTION (1).

general deterrence

A goal of criminal law generally, or of a specific conviction and sentence, to discourage people from committing crimes.

special deterrence

A goal of a specific conviction and sentence to dissuade the offender from committing crimes in the future.

utilitarian-deterrence theory

The legal theory that a person should be punished only if it is for the good of society - that is, only if the punishment would further the prevention of future harmful conduct. See hedonistic utilitarianism under UTILITARIANISM. Cf. RETRIBUTIVISM.