The term lex talionis means the law of retaliation (Mays, Winfree, 2009). The statement “The lex talionis is proscriptive rather than prescriptive” would mean the law requires punishment to be enforced and no boundaries are set as to what the punishment can be. This can be considered to some as a form of injustice since the punishment could be too harsh for the crime committed. To others the punishment could be considered justified because a punishment was enforced no matter how harsh it may be.
