I'd frame it in a different way. Conservatives argue for punishment as deterrence and to keep society safe from criminals. Liberals argue for punishment as reh

I'd frame it in a different way. Conservatives argue for punishment as deterrence and to keep society safe from criminals. Liberals argue for punishment as rehabilitation and are happy to abandon punishment if it is shown to not rehabilitate. Both of these are utilitarian arguments. A third position is: criminals deserve to be punished in proportion to the crime committed because a society that does not punish criminals is not worth living in. The definition of a crime is a transgression that must be punished, whatever the consequences.