Rehabilitation focuses on which of the following?

• A. Reforming the offender through education, therapy, and treatment with the goal of reducing recidivism
• B. Punishment and deterrence
• C. Incapacitation
• D. Restorative justice

Answer: (A)

Rehabilitation focuses on reforming the offender by addressing the factors that lead to crime—such as lack of education, substance abuse, mental health issues, and poor coping skills—and by providing education, therapy, and treatment. The aim is to reduce recidivism, meaning the person is less likely to reoffend after completing the programs. This distinguishes rehabilitation from other approaches: punishment and deterrence emphasize penalties to discourage crime rather than changing behavior; incapacitation removes the offender from society to prevent crimes but doesn’t address underlying causes; restorative justice focuses on repairing harm to victims and the community, rather than primarily reforming the offender.