Collective punishment is a term to describe the punishment of a group of people for the same crime. It is contradictory to the modern concept of due process, where each individual recieves separate treatment based on their individual circumstances-- as they relate to the crime in question. Collective punishment thus is tied only to societies that are considered less 'advanced,' less wealthy, or otherwise less capable of giving "due process" to each defendant.

In recent history, the term has been used to describe the punishment of families for the actions of one member - for example, the demolition of houses in the Gaza strip, and confiscation of assets connected with drug use and trafficing in the United States