--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our justice system is a punitive one…" description: "\"Our justice system is a punitive one that's there to sort of deal with what happens after someone's already offended.\" — Zoe Quinn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/zoe-quinn-7410_deal_our-justice-system-is-a-punitive-one-tha_221908.jpg" --- # Our justice system is a punitive one that's there to sort… ![“Our justice system is a punitive one that's there to sort of deal with what happens after someone's already offended.” quote by Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/zoe-quinn-7410_deal_our-justice-system-is-a-punitive-one-tha_221908.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/zoe-quinn-7410_deal_our-justice-system-is-a-punitive-one-tha_221908.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/06e/zoe-quinn-7410_deal_our-justice-system-is-a-punitive-one-tha_221908.jpg) > “Our justice system is a punitive one that's there to sort of deal with what happens after someone's already offended.” [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Current justice system focuses on punishment after wrongdoing, not prevention **In simple terms:** Justice is punitive, not restorative Key Takeaway Consider restorative justice approaches Themes justice law society Mood concerned hopeful analytical Type social commentary policy critique When to use this quote - criminal sentencing - victim support - policy making Key Concepts punishment vs rehabilitation systemic reform Questions to Reflect On - How can we shift from punishment to prevention? - What are the limits of restorative justice? A Different Perspective Restorative justice may be costly and hard to implement ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deal/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Happens Offended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens-offended-2264958/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Justice Punitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-punitive-527324/) [Justice system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-system/) [Offended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offended/) [Punitive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punitive-831095/) [Punitive Sort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punitive-sort-2264959/) [System](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/system/) ## Related quotes > [Generally the impulse to find justice through punitive measures can be a kind of quicksand. What James Whitman, the scholar I cite in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/generally-the-impulse-to-find-justice-through-punitive-measures-can/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [Punitive measures whether administered by police, teachers, spouses or parents have well known standard effects: (1) escape-education has its own name for that: truancy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/punitive-measures-whether-administered-by-police-teachers-spouses-or/) [B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/) > [The punitive use of force tends to generate hostility and to reinforce resistance to the very behavior we are seeking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/the-punitive-use-of-force-tends-to-generate-hostility-and-to/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [I've had a lot more success helping guys then just being punitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-saban/i-ve-had-a-lot-more-success-helping-guys-then-just-being-punitive/) [Nick Saban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-saban/) > [It's not crime that makes us more punitive in the United States. It's the way we respond to crime and how we view those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-alexander/it-s-not-crime-that-makes-us-more-punitive-in-the-united-states-it-s/) [Michelle Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-alexander/) > [It is an enduring truth, which can never be altered, that every infraction of the Law of nature must carry its punitive consequences with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-troward/it-is-an-enduring-truth-which-can-never-be-altered-that-every/) [Thomas Troward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-troward/) > [The web is democratising and also the voice of people who don't think they have another outlet. And that voice can be punitive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/the-web-is-democratising-and-also-the-voice-of-people-who-don-t-think/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [Americans like to humiliate wrongdoers...We like, in short, to punish. It makes us feel good. By every conceivable metric - arrests, prosecutions, duration of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hayes/americans-like-to-humiliate-wrongdoers-we-like-in-short-to-punish-it/) [Chris Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hayes/) > [I don't want to pass a punitive law, or use politics as a vendetta.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/romano-prodi/i-don-t-want-to-pass-a-punitive-law-or-use-politics-as-a-vendetta/) [Romano Prodi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/romano-prodi/) > [“Nothing is more punitive than to give a disease a meaning - that meaning being invariably a moralistic one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/nothing-is-more-punitive-than-to-give-a-disease-a-meaning-that/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [You look forward. You don't go punitive. It's very small-minded to do that. 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Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-rubin/) > [We need to incorporate that age-old concept of redemption into the work that we do in the criminal justice system in California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamala-harris/we-need-to-incorporate-that-age-old-concept-of-redemption-into-the/) [Kamala Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamala-harris/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) ## More by Zoe Quinn > [The reason I namecheck restorative justice so much is because that, to me, is the utopia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/the-reason-i-namecheck-restorative-justice-so-much-is-because-that-to/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [I like the idea of using cool cyberpunk stuff to tell really stupid jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/i-like-the-idea-of-using-cool-cyberpunk-stuff-to-tell-really-stupid/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [“Normal people don’t want me to honestly answer the question “What’s up?” Not many people are equipped to handle answers like “A fanatical juice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/normal-people-don-t-want-me-to-honestly-answer-the-question-what-s-up/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [“We were cautious in how we set it up, because we were extremely afraid of creating yet another shitty institution that would fail to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/we-were-cautious-in-how-we-set-it-up-because-we-were-extremely-afraid/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [It only makes sense that as our society becomes more and more integrated with technology, we'll start to see more cyborgs, grinders, biohackers -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/it-only-makes-sense-that-as-our-society-becomes-more-and-more/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [I just wanted to make video games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/i-just-wanted-to-make-video-games/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [Everyone who has felt alienated by the games industry, both would-be players and creators, needs to rally together and support one another as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/everyone-who-has-felt-alienated-by-the-games-industry-both-would-be/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [The bulk of my work is comedy and I wanted to use the gaming world as a vehicle to deliver comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/the-bulk-of-my-work-is-comedy-and-i-wanted-to-use-the-gaming-world-as/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [In terms of client & press requests, I operate under the assumption that anything I say will be blasted out in public, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/in-terms-of-client-press-requests-i-operate-under-the-assumption-that/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [The thing about astroturfing is that it can be really believable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/the-thing-about-astroturfing-is-that-it-can-be-really-believable/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [GamerGate-promoted outlets fail at grown-up journalistic ethics, and they also fail at the cheap knockoff brand of GamerGate brand ethics, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/gamergate-promoted-outlets-fail-at-grown-up-journalistic-ethics-and/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [I really, really, really love writing comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/i-really-really-really-love-writing-comics/) [Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/) > [Sailor Moon' was the first time I could say I was a super-duper-fan of something. 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