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A fine or mulct (the latter synonym typically used in civil law) is a penalty of money that a court of law [1] or other authority decides has to be paid as punishment for a crime or other offense.
A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. [1] The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resulted in the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods, to which additional punishments, including capital punishment, could be added; [2 ...
Inflicting something negative, or unpleasant, on a person or animal, without authority or not on the basis of a breach of rules is typically considered only revenge or spite rather than punishment. [12] In addition, the word "punishment" is used as a metaphor, as when a boxer experiences "punishment" during a fight. In other situations ...
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions restrict torture to acts carried out by the state , while others include non-state organizations.
The test, then, will ordinarily be a cumulative one: if a punishment is unusually severe, if there is a strong probability that it is inflicted arbitrarily, if it is substantially rejected by contemporary society, and if there is no reason to believe that it serves any penal purpose more effectively than some less severe punishment, then the ...
Historically, many cultures considered adultery a very serious crime, some subject to severe punishment, usually for the woman and sometimes for the man, with penalties including capital punishment, mutilation, or torture. [4] Such punishments have gradually fallen into disfavor, especially in Western countries from the 19th century.
The definition of a violent crime turns out to be highly arbitrary, though. Burglaries are treated as violent, for example, even if no one is hurt or threatened, but most assaults don’t qualify ...
"A severe punishment that is clearly and totally rejected throughout society." "A severe punishment that is patently unnecessary." And he added: "The function of these principles, after all, is simply to provide [the] means by which a court can determine whether [the] challenged punishment comports with human dignity.