desert principle
The concept that offenders should be punished according to how blameworthy they areThe concept that offenders should be punished according to how blameworthy they are.
Meaning
1 sensesThe concept that offenders should be punished according to how blameworthy they are.
Origin
From desert (“a just punishment or reward”).From desert (“a just punishment or reward”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Dictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.