Preventive Theory Law and Legal Definition
The preventive theory is founded on the idea of preventing repetition of crime by disabling the offender through measures such as imprisonment, forfeiture, death punishment and suspension of licence. Preventive theory was supported by utilitarian law reformers because of its humanising influence on penal law. In their view, it is the certainty of law and its severity which has a real effect on offenders. The development of the institution of prison is essentially an outcome of the preventive theory of crime.
