DC motors are inherently capable of regeneration, and have been used with dynamic braking for a century or more. PM motors are the simplest - just short the terminals - car windscreen wipers usually park like this. Induction motors are not so easy because reconfiguring the supply to give reverse torque stands the risk of the motor starting up in reverse. So it takes an extra piece of kit, the rectifier (and transformer, if the rectifier is not phase controlled) to brake an induction motor. Of course with 4-quadrant PWM drive anything is possible. OP: look up 4-quadrant motor control.