Part 6 Flashcards
purpose of sentencing
protect society and contribute, along with crime prevention initiatives, to the respect for the law and maintenance of just, peaceful, and safe societies through just sanctions
a judges sentence should consider the objectives:
- to denounce
- to deter
- to separate
- to rehabilitate
- to prove reparation
- to promote responsibility and acknowledgment
to denounce
- denounce unlawful conduct
- systematic way in which society can communicate what is wrong
to deter
specific vs. general deterrence
to separate
separate offenders from society in reflection of the crime committed
to rehabilitate
should be an element of rehabilitation in all sentencing
to prove reparation
must be reparations for the harm done to the individual or community
to promote responsibility and acknowledgment
sentencing should acknowledge that the individual is responsible for committing this crime and the sentence should promote responsibility and acknowledgment of the offence
specific deterrence
deter the offender from committing this specific crime through punishment
general deterrence
create general deterrence from committing this crime by showing society what is happening to this offender and the punishment
fundamental principles of sentencing
- proportionality
- restraint
proportionality
- proportionate to the gravity of the offence and degree of responsibility
- fair sentencing based on the severity of the crime
restraint
- sentence is just and appropriate punishment and nothing more
- incarceration vs. community service vs. house arrest vs. fine; as forms of punishment based on the crime committed
3 goals of sentencing
- utilitarian goals
- retributive goals
- restorative goals
utilitarianism
- focus on future conduct
- deterrence
- broad philosophical model
- bring the most good to the most people and least suffering
- prevent future crimes from happening
retributive model
- focus on past crimes
- focussed on the offender and the offense and how to we make them pay
- denunciation
denunciation
- expressing this is not okay, you can’t do this, heres your punishment
- denouncing the offense
restorative
- focus on how crimes impact the victims, offenders and community
- future oriented
- protect society
sentencing options
- absolute discharge
- conditional discharge
- fine
- forfeiture
- prohibition
absolute discharge
- found guilty, but not convicted
- circumstantial
- charges will be removed without formal application within the year
- e.g. not criminally guilty based on mental insanity, victimless crimes, crime of duress
conditional discharge
- found guilty and released, but has to comply with a condition of a probation order of 1-3 years
- no permanent record
- e.g. getting a job, attending court ordered rehab are conditions of probation