Explaining "Let the punishment fit the crime"

Reviewed and edited by

Anwar Kareem 18/11/2024, 18:36

English.me team member

What does it mean?

The phrase means that the severity of the punishment should be appropriate to the severity of the wrongdoing. Penalties should match the seriousness of the offense to be just and fair.

Tone

The tone of the phrase is objective and rational, promoting fairness and justice in the administration of punishment.

Origin

The phrase "Let the punishment fit the crime" originates from the comic opera The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan, first performed in 1885, where a character named Ko-Ko sings about balancing punishments to match the crimes committed. While the phrase became famous in this operetta, the underlying idea of proportional justice has much older roots.

Examples of usage

In the committee meeting, they discussed how they could let the punishment fit the crime when dealing with violations of the community guidelines.
The judge believed in the principle that the punishment should fit the crime, hence he took into account the minor nature of the offense when deciding the sentence.