P8M5D3
Aims of sentencing
The punishment of offenders includes going to prison, doing unpaid work in the
community, following a curfew or paying a fine. It is often referred to as retribution.
Retribution means punishing the person for the crime they did because they deserve it.
It is about making sure they get the punishment they earned for their actions.
Retribution is about the crime they already committed. Judges who use retribution when
deciding a punishment focus only on the crime itself. They make sure the punishment
matches the crime and is fair for what the offender has done. The idea is that the
punishment should fit the crime.
Deterrence is about giving a punishment to stop people from committing crimes. It tries
to scare people, so they won’t do something wrong again. When someone is punished,
they might be afraid of getting punished again, so they don’t break the law anymore.
This is called individual deterrence. It’s focused on one person, the person who
committed the crime, to make sure they don’t do it again because they are afraid of
being punished. Deterrence is also about stopping other people, not just the person who
committed the crime. When someone is punished, it shows everyone else what could
happen to them if they break the law. This is called general deterrence. It’s a way to
warn everyone in society not to commit crimes because they will face the same
punishment. Both types of deterrence, individual and general are about reducing the
number of crimes in the future. They are meant to make people think twice before doing
something illegal, either because they are afraid for themselves or because they see
what happens to others. The goal is to make sure there is less crime in the future.
Reform and rehabilitation are about helping offenders to change and become better
people. The goal is to reform them, which means to help them improve their behavior,
and to rehabilitate them, which means to help them fit back into society. This is a
positive and forward-thinking goal. It is about giving people a chance to change so they
won’t commit crimes again in the future. When a person is punished, the court gets
information about their life and background. This helps the court decide what kind of
punishment might help them change. Usually, this information comes from a special
, P8M5D3
report called a pre-sentence report. The probation service prepares this report. Some
reports show mixed or not enough evidence for certain rehabilitation programs, but
there is good evidence that some programs really work. For example, programs that
help people change their behavior or deal with drug problems have been shown to help
stop people from committing crimes again. In England and Wales, rehabilitation
services are run mainly by the prison and probation services. But they also work with
other groups, like public services and voluntary organizations. This teamwork helps
make sure offenders get the support they need to change and live better lives. The idea
is to help them stop offending and become good members of society again.
The Protection of the public is about keeping people safe from criminals and making
sure they don’t commit more crimes. Some criminals are very dangerous, and the public
needs to be protected from them. These are people who commit serious crimes, like
murder, violent crimes, or serious sexual offences. To keep everyone safe, these
dangerous offenders are often given life imprisonment or very long prison sentences.
This way, they are kept away from the public and cannot harm anyone else. For crimes
that are less serious, there are other ways to protect the public. For example, if
someone is a dangerous driver, they can be banned from driving. This is called
disqualification. It means they are not allowed to drive anymore so they won’t be a
danger to others on the road. Another example is an exclusion order. This is a rule that
says the offender is not allowed to go to certain places. This is often part of a
community order. It’s used to stop them from going to places where they might commit
more crimes. These punishments are all about keeping people safe. Whether the crime
is serious or less serious, the goal is to make sure the public is protected from offenders
and the risk of future crimes.
Reparation is about making things right for the victim of a crime. It means that the
offender has to do something to help the victim or to make up for what they did wrong.
Usually, this is done by ordering the offender to pay money to the victim as
compensation. Sometimes, it means giving back something that was taken, like
returning stolen property to the person it was stolen from. This is called restitution. The
courts have to think about reparation when deciding punishments. They must consider
Aims of sentencing
The punishment of offenders includes going to prison, doing unpaid work in the
community, following a curfew or paying a fine. It is often referred to as retribution.
Retribution means punishing the person for the crime they did because they deserve it.
It is about making sure they get the punishment they earned for their actions.
Retribution is about the crime they already committed. Judges who use retribution when
deciding a punishment focus only on the crime itself. They make sure the punishment
matches the crime and is fair for what the offender has done. The idea is that the
punishment should fit the crime.
Deterrence is about giving a punishment to stop people from committing crimes. It tries
to scare people, so they won’t do something wrong again. When someone is punished,
they might be afraid of getting punished again, so they don’t break the law anymore.
This is called individual deterrence. It’s focused on one person, the person who
committed the crime, to make sure they don’t do it again because they are afraid of
being punished. Deterrence is also about stopping other people, not just the person who
committed the crime. When someone is punished, it shows everyone else what could
happen to them if they break the law. This is called general deterrence. It’s a way to
warn everyone in society not to commit crimes because they will face the same
punishment. Both types of deterrence, individual and general are about reducing the
number of crimes in the future. They are meant to make people think twice before doing
something illegal, either because they are afraid for themselves or because they see
what happens to others. The goal is to make sure there is less crime in the future.
Reform and rehabilitation are about helping offenders to change and become better
people. The goal is to reform them, which means to help them improve their behavior,
and to rehabilitate them, which means to help them fit back into society. This is a
positive and forward-thinking goal. It is about giving people a chance to change so they
won’t commit crimes again in the future. When a person is punished, the court gets
information about their life and background. This helps the court decide what kind of
punishment might help them change. Usually, this information comes from a special
, P8M5D3
report called a pre-sentence report. The probation service prepares this report. Some
reports show mixed or not enough evidence for certain rehabilitation programs, but
there is good evidence that some programs really work. For example, programs that
help people change their behavior or deal with drug problems have been shown to help
stop people from committing crimes again. In England and Wales, rehabilitation
services are run mainly by the prison and probation services. But they also work with
other groups, like public services and voluntary organizations. This teamwork helps
make sure offenders get the support they need to change and live better lives. The idea
is to help them stop offending and become good members of society again.
The Protection of the public is about keeping people safe from criminals and making
sure they don’t commit more crimes. Some criminals are very dangerous, and the public
needs to be protected from them. These are people who commit serious crimes, like
murder, violent crimes, or serious sexual offences. To keep everyone safe, these
dangerous offenders are often given life imprisonment or very long prison sentences.
This way, they are kept away from the public and cannot harm anyone else. For crimes
that are less serious, there are other ways to protect the public. For example, if
someone is a dangerous driver, they can be banned from driving. This is called
disqualification. It means they are not allowed to drive anymore so they won’t be a
danger to others on the road. Another example is an exclusion order. This is a rule that
says the offender is not allowed to go to certain places. This is often part of a
community order. It’s used to stop them from going to places where they might commit
more crimes. These punishments are all about keeping people safe. Whether the crime
is serious or less serious, the goal is to make sure the public is protected from offenders
and the risk of future crimes.
Reparation is about making things right for the victim of a crime. It means that the
offender has to do something to help the victim or to make up for what they did wrong.
Usually, this is done by ordering the offender to pay money to the victim as
compensation. Sometimes, it means giving back something that was taken, like
returning stolen property to the person it was stolen from. This is called restitution. The
courts have to think about reparation when deciding punishments. They must consider
