Imagine getting punished for someone else's mistake, while you weren’t involved at all. Just like when one student misbehaves and the entire class gets punished. Group punishments can be unfair at times since innocent people get punished for the mistake of one.

When a leader is assigned to a particular group, it’s their responsibility to maintain discipline in it. The main problem with group punishment is it's wrong to punish people for things they didn't do. People should only be punished for their own wrongdoings. “Punishing everyone for one person’s mistake feels unfair and makes people angry at those in charge” (Carlsmith 125). When innocent people get in trouble for someone else's mistakes, they feel angry and lose trust in their leaders. 

Group punishment also hurts teamwork. When innocent people get in trouble for someone else's mistakes, they feel angry and lose trust in their leaders. Instead of bringing people together, it makes them suspicious of each other. “By imposing collective punishment, it risks planting doubt into minds, which leads to cultivating a sense of uncertainty” (Bartolovic). People start watching and blaming their teammates, worried they'll all get punished for one person's actions. 

Group punishments create conflict between one another instead of preventing it. Children might also bully the person who got everyone in trouble. Most importantly, group punishment doesn't help the person who misbehaved learn better behavior. This teaches students that being good doesn't matter and makes them angry at both the teacher and the troublemaker. Some teachers and leaders use group punishments because they think it will make other people stop the troublemaker. When people know they might get punished no matter how well they behave, they often stop trying.

Many situations might be better served by approaches that build collective responsibility without punishing the innocent. Group consequences can be appropriate when the entire group shares responsibility for a problem. When groups contribute to problems, discussions about what went wrong and how to improve can be more effective than punishment. Prevention is often the best approach. 

But group punishments have positive aspects too. They encourage people to help each other follow rules and teach about responsibility and consequences. Group punishments help everyone learn a lesson. When people know that one person's actions can affect the whole group, they try harder to do the right thing and make sure others do too. It teaches people to work as a team and be responsible together. Positive peer pressure can prevent repeating the same mistakes. Group punishment may push members to improve internal communication and correct behavior early.

Group punishments are generally unfair because they punish innocent people for things they didn't do. While they might sometimes help groups work together better, they usually create more problems than they solve by making people angry and damaging trust.

It's better to hold individuals responsible for their own actions while finding positive ways to encourage teamwork and shared responsibility.

References

Bartolovic, Amanda. “Collective Punishment in Classrooms Is Toxic to Adolescent Growth.” The Central Trend, 15 May 2019, thecentraltrend.com/65581/opinion/collective-punishment-in-classrooms-is-toxic-to-adolescent-growth/.

Carlsmith, Kevin M. “On Justifying Punishment: The Discrepancy between Words and Actions.” Social Justice Research, vol. 21, no. 2, 2008, pp. 119–137. Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-008-0068-x.