Incapacitation (penology)

Incapacitation is like a time-out for grown-ups who break the rules.

When people do bad things, there are different ways that society can try to make them stop. One way is to put them in time-out where they can't do anything bad. This could mean putting them in jail or prison, or keeping them from being able to leave their house.

Incapacitation is a way of stopping people from doing bad things by taking away their ability to do them. This could mean putting them in a special place where they can't hurt anyone, like a jail cell, or it could mean restricting their movement or access to certain places or things.

The idea is that if someone is locked up or kept away from society, they won't be able to do any more bad things. Sometimes, people who are believed to be dangerous or who have already done harmful things are put into long-term incapacitation, like life imprisonment. This means they can't do anything bad for the rest of their lives because they are kept away from society.

Incapacitation is sometimes used instead of other forms of punishment because it is believed that it is the most effective way of keeping people from continuing to commit crimes. However, it is important to remember that putting people in time-out or prison is not always the best solution, especially for minor offenses or for people who may be able to be rehabilitated.