Accountability of the state

I see in this thread and other places on discussions on free will the point of accountability of the state being made. <br><br>Namely that if we abandon free will belief, then all actions are the actions of past causes, and are essentially uncontrollable. If that is the case then punishment should serve only the function of protection and rehabilitation of the criminal, because the act they committed was inevitable, rather than a moral punishment and deterrent. <br><br>How can the accountability of the state be maintained if we consider actions to be inevitable? Should it?