Synopsis
Power of coercion and authority to inflict pain and suffering on an individual and a group of individuals or an institution for an act considered to be offensive to an established and known legislation(s) belongs to the state under an administration of a government. The government is as established by a covenant otherwise known as Social Contract amongst individuals coming together to abide by such acts of constraints and restraints as may be put forward by a government under which they have elected, implicitly, by being present when the contract was initially initiated and signed or explicitly, through submission to its obligation of protection that membership of such covenant entails.[1]
Under the power of the state, the authority to inflict pain, suffering, deprivation, which includes loss of life as may be applied by the government is called punishment. Thus, punishment is contradistinguished from other forms of suffering in the sense that it is a human experience sanctioned by laws of a legitimate government.
