PLATO'S VIEWS ON CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

The immensity of the task I undertook, namely, to venture into the philosophy of Plato regarding his views on crime and punishment, only struck me the moment I started researching his relevant works. Therefore, right from the outset, I need to admit that it is a mammoth task, an assignment of monumental proportions. Furthermore, I do not profess to have a thorough knowledge of all his works in the original Greek, and I need to admit that I can only endeavour to speak as a criminologist with psychological background attempting to unravel the views of a legendary philosopher. Some might say an exercise in futility, but as the Greeks used to say, "Giraskw aei didaskomenos", meaning, I always keep on learning while I grow old. Mr chairperson, Ladies and Gentlemen, to define crime is a thorny issue. The most precise and least ambiguous definition of crime is: "The act which is prohibited by the criminal code"