I interpreted it as literally “remove the capacity (to continue committing crime)”. Incarceration is one means of achieving that, but possibly not the only, and I feel like the OP was trying to draw that distinction.

I don’t think they were meaning incapacitation as in rendered unconscious.

That's right, thank you. I didn't realize it wasn't commonly used in this context, and completely forgot about its other meaning. :) Yes, ideally the concept of "protecting society from the offender re-offending" should be narrowly tailored to only prevent those offenses, and only if those offenses present risk to surrounding society.