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Eye-For-An-Eye Justice System

Issue

   Incarceration seems to be an ineffective form of deterrence with prisons becoming overcrowded from convicts returning to a life of crime. Would an eye-for-an-eye policy be more effective as a punitive measure than the current prison system?
Eye-For-An-Eye (Primary Principle)
 
   The eye-for-an-eye principle reflects an ideal that is not based on vengeance, but rather represents a fair and just balance of life through the proper reinforcement of one's actions. Jesus may have referred to this when he said:
                         So in everything, do to others what you would have them
                              do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
                                                                                         Matthew 7:12
 
   This passage reflects that the eye-for-an-eye principle should be adhered to when administering corrective measures. For example, people should not steal from others unless they want to be stolen from, or strike anyone unless they want to be stricken in return. It is a simple principle to live by, and by doing so, helps prevent a person from committing a criminal act since they would receive similar treatment in kind.
Eye-For-An-Eye (Balanced Reconciliation)

   The eye-for-an-eye principle should not only be a doctrine to live by (to prevent wrongful acts from being committed), but also serves as a basis to administer fair and proper justice for criminal offenses. Whether the balanced reconciliation effort is personal (to resolve one's mistakes in life), or communal (as a form of public justice).

   To impose greater or lesser reinforcement than the act itself would be an unfair and unjust handling of the situation. Incarceration involving imprisonment should only be used if the eye-for-an-eye measure is not feasible, or does not fully balance the situation.

   In general, the eye-for-an-eye equality rule will help people put things in perspective and everyone will know beforehand what would happen to them if they carried out an illegal act, since similar action will be returned in kind as balanced reconciliation.
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