State, or judicial, punishment, then, is the mechanism of enforcement for the criminal law, the purpose of which is to discourage the behaviours which it specifies. The whole point of criminal law, then, and the system of punishments through which it is enforced, is to prevent crime. If we ask the question 'Why have a system of punishment at all?', then, most people would answer 'To prevent crime' as though it were self-evident, a 'truth by definition'. When we are giving an answer to this question, we are propos¬ing a general justifying aim for punishment. This does not, however, help us answer questions such as 'How much punishment should there be for certain types of offences/offenders?' or 'What types of punishment should there be?. These are principles of distribution, and it is important to distinguish the two types of principles. We also need to be clear when rationales for punishment such as rehabilitation, deterrence or retribution are being suggested as justifying principles, and when as principles of distribution (Hart 1968). In Chapter 4, some contemporary formulations will be suggested which attempt to resolve the arguments between the various positions by adopting reductivism as the justifying principle and retribution as the principle of distribution. Chapter 5 introduces restora¬tive justice, which has become increasingly important in criminal justice practice. Debates about its role, its limits and its relationship with other principles of punishent are reviewed.