Why would you need to justify a punishment that was already predetermined? If you are going to excuse crime with the no free will argument you can excuse the punishers with that argument too.
To clarify my position, I do believe in free will; specifically a compatibilistic view of free will. If you read my other replies, you can see that I do advocate for a criminal justice sustem, just not a retributive one (or a restorative one, for that matter).
I do not excuse any crime, nor do I excuse any punishment. Every individual is responsible for their own actions, regardless of the circumstances. However, I see little use in revenge from a legal standpoint. Instead our main motivations should be deterrence and incarceration.
