Exercises
Now, let’s try some exercises to check your understanding of how to
paraphrase.
Exercise I:
At least four separate theories of crime and punishment compete
for preeminence in guiding correctional policies. Justice: First, there
is the ancient Judeo-Christian idea of holding individuals responsible
for their guilty acts and compelling them to pay a debt to society.
Retribution is an expression of society’s moral outrage, and it
lessens the impulse of victims and their families to seek revenge.
Deterrence: Another philosophy argues that punishment should be
sure, speedy, commensurate with the crime, and sufficiently
conspicuous to deter others from committing crimes.
Incapacitation: Still another philosophy in correctional policy is that
of protecting the public from lawbreakers or habitual criminals by
segregating them behind prison walls. Rehabilitation: Finally, there
is the theory that criminals are partly or entirely victims of social
circumstances beyond their control and that society owes them
comprehensive treatment in the form of rehabilitation. (p. 100-101)
--Dye, T. (1995). Understanding public policy (8th ed.). Englewood
Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
First, you’ll want to identify the main points in this passage. Use
some scratch paper to identify the main points:
Now let’s look at a sample paraphrase of the passage. This sample
paraphrase has several key problems. Read the paraphrase and
then write down some of the problems with this paraphrase.
Four separate theories about crime and punishment compete in
guiding correctional policies. The first is an ancient Judeo-Christian
idea of justice. This idea holds individuals responsible for their own
actions and compels them to pay a debt to society. In this case,
retribution is an expression of society’s moral outrage. This lessens
the impulse of victims to seek revenge. A second theory of crime
and punishment is deterrence. This philosophy argues that
punishment should e certain, swift, and commensurate with the
crime. If punishment is conspicuous, this theory holds that it will
deter others from committing crime. A third theory is the theory of
incapacitation. This theory is to protect the public from criminals by
placing criminals behind prison walls. A final theory of crime and
punishment is the theory of rehabilitation. This theory suggests that
criminals are victims of social circumstances beyond their control. In
this instance society owes them comprehensive treatment in the
form of rehabilitation (Dye, 1995).
Problems with this Paraphrase: The writer of the paraphrase did
not change the structure of ideas, sentence structure, or wording.
Essentially, this writer is guilty of plagiarism.
Now that you’ve identified both the key points and the problems
with the above paraphrase, write your own paraphrase of the
passage.