What is Buddha's view on crime and punishment, including prison and death penalty

[hermitwin]

What is Buddha's view on crime and punishment, including prison and death penalty?

[2600htz]

Hi:

This is some advice given by the Buddha in a previous life, at that time he was a high priest giving advice to the king. It was on how to deal with bandits. The advice was followed and ripped in good results.

Even so, i dont think imprisonment, confiscation or banishment is a bad thing to do to secure a nation according to dhamma (but yes killing or inflicting tortures). The sutta is making the point that ITS NOT A viable long time strategy to fix crime. You need to create and spread wealth so people dont go looking for bad alternatives.

DN - 5 (With Kūṭadanta)

Now the king might think, “I’ll eradicate this barbarian obstacle by execution or imprisonment or confiscation or condemnation or banishment!” But that’s not the right way to eradicate this barbarian obstacle. Those who remain after the killing will return to harass the king’s realm.

Rather, here is a plan, relying on which the barbarian obstacle will be properly uprooted. So let the king provide seed and fodder for those in the realm who work in farming and raising cattle. Let the king provide funding for those who work in trade. Let the king guarantee food and wages for those in government service. Then the people, occupied with their own work, will not harass the realm. The king’s revenues will be great. When the country is secured as a sanctuary, free of being harried and oppressed, the happy people, with joy in their hearts, dancing with children at their breast, will dwell as if their houses were wide open.’

Regards.

[Sabbe_Dhamma_Anatta]

.

My first thought on seeing the topic title:

• "umm ... maybe Buddha might not possibly have read one of the Dostoyevsky's"

[Mr Man]

What is Buddha's view on crime and punishment, including prison and death penalty?

Killing living creatures, stealing, and sexual misconduct; speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical; and covetousness, ill will, and wrong view. This is called the unskillful.

https://suttacentral.net/mn9/en/sujato

[confusedlayman]

if i envision a state run by buddha or arhants

there wont be any punishment.

people who do wrong thing will be given advice and turned in to stream enterer as they are the one who needs teaching

so if u do crime, punishment is u will be pushed in to enlightment or stream

there wont be any relative comparisions other than within context of dhamma to progress

no one speaks bad words or use weapons...

one disadvantage is... when attacked by other groups we shall be killed as self defense is rooted in ignorance. hence radiate metta and die.