ADVANCED INFO: Topic 4 (FORMS of Punishment) Flashcards
Which are the four forms of punishment?
Fines, community sentences, imprisonment and discharges.
Which two are the focus in advanced info?
Fines and community sentences
Which aims of punishment do community sentences meet?
Retribution, rehabilitation and reparation
How do community sentences meet retribution?
A visible, open punishment where you are not hidden away and you literally have to wear a hi-vis vest, meaning that you are named and shamed- supporting harsh, public punishments.
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They do take away elements of freedom- forced into unpaid work and have to meet curfews.
How do community sentences meet rehabilitation?
Community sentences offer anger management programmes and drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation, as well as training for future job prospects.
and
Recidivism rates from community sentences are much lower than imprisonment- offenders with 50 previous convictions are 33% more likely to reoffend within the year if they go to prison as opposed to serving a community sentence.
How do community sentences meet reparation?
Community sentences do involve paying back their debt to society, and not just through money.
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You may be required to repair damage that you inflicted yourself, making amends for what you have done, for example the cleaning of graffiti.
Which aims of punishment do fines meet?
Deterrence, retribution and reparation
How do fines meet deterrence?
If you are aware of the maximum fine of committing a crime, you may think twice about committing it.
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It is a major warning for the potential punishment of a future offence.
How do fines meet retribution?
Fines hit people with what they care about most- their hard earned money.
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Having to pay a fine is quite stressful, and thereby makes a person suffer for the crime they have committed.
How do fines meet reparation?
It could be said that a fine being paid is a reparation to society on the whole, as you are quite literally paying your debt to society.
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Furthermore, the fine gets paid to the CJS which will ultimately be invested into other agencies, which is a huge benefit to society. Why should a tax payer pay for the system, where offenders are the ones going through it?
Define Fines
Fines are simply a financial penalty for committing crime, that are most commonly used in a Magistrates Court. They can be used in a Crown court alongside other forms of punishment (15% of those found guilty of an indictable offence received a fine).
Define community sentences
Community sentences are a collective name of all the different ways a court can punish an defendant who has been convicted of an offence, other than through a custodial sentence.
