Ideal punishment theory: a critique

This project aims to critique Christopher Morris' theory of punishment argued in his essay, "Punishment and Loss of Moral Standing" on the grounds that it cannot offer pragmatic insight into the phenomenon of mass incarceration that plagues America today. Morris argues that wrongdoers forfeit their moral rights to life, liberty, and property when they commit a crime because they have broken the social contract. I will argue that his forfeiture theory employs an idealized methodology that is exceedingly detached from the complex systems of oppression that plague our social structures and criminal justice system, therefore being unable to offer a working solution to combat (or justify) the current state of mass incarceration.