 | This is anessay on theblocking policy and thebanning policy. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one ofWikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not beenthoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Administrative sanctions against editors are not punitive, and imposed solely to prevent harm to the encyclopedia. |
Wikipedia has variousactions that can be taken against editors for certain violations, including various forms ofdisruptive editing. These include temporary or indefiniteblocks andbans. These are punishments according to common definitions: they arepenalties imposed because of offenses and violations, and admins areinflicting these penalties or sanctions because of these offenses. It may seem harsh that some people are given this treatment, but it is important to remember that these sanctions are intended to be significantlypreventative, not exclusivelypunitive.
Some editors, even someadministrators onWikipedia, forgetwhy we are here and begin to adopt apunitive model for Wikipedia politics. They supportblocks,bans, andenforcement of Arbitration Committee sanctions in order to exact retribution on "bad users" rather than helping to create and improve encyclopedic content. This is regrettable and problematic, not to mention contrary to the reason for blocks, bans, and enforcements as stated in the Wikipedia guidelines and policies linked in the previous sentence. When proposing or supporting an action that could easily be interpreted to be punishment, ask yourself, "Will this action help make the content on Wikipedia better?". If the answer is not an unequivocal "yes" and you still end up supporting the action, you may be an adherent to the punitive model of Wikipedia. This may also mean you enjoy the perceived "power" that you get from enforcing your will through the various features (or bugs) of the Wikipedia community.
Administrators should follow apreventative model for their actions with a goal of curbing disruptive or harmful behavior from editors rather than trying to punish them.Topic bans,page protections,partial blocks and so on are in some cases more helpful to the project thanindefinite blocks orcommunity bans. Short blocks may easily be interpreted asgamy slaps on the wrist that just serve to aggravate rather than enlighten. If you have a problem with the actions of a user, why not try to discuss the matter with them before blocking? There isaccountability for administrative actions.