Sentencing is the formal legal consequences of committing a crime. There are different types of sentencing, which range from simple ones such as fines, probation, and short-term incarceration, to complex ones like life imprisonment and the death penalty. As stipulated in S. 718, there are several principles and purposes of sentencing.
Retribution is the first reason for sentencing. The victims of crime, their families, and the community have suffered either emotional or physical injury. Instinctually they would want to hit back at the offenders. However, they leave it to the criminal justice system to do it on their behalf. The court tries to ensure that the victims are satisfied with the punishment given to the offender. It will also ensure that the sentence is something that the offender does not like, such as taking away their freedom or ordering hefty monetary penalties.
Deterrence is another purpose, principle, and goal of sentencing. When a court announces a punishment to a crime committed by an offender, it demonstrates to the people that crime has severe consequences. The public will then mark its boundaries of good and bad behavior and avoid the bad one to prevent sentencing. Additionally, a punishment discourages the offender from committing the offense in the future.
Incapacitation or protection of the public is another reason for the sentencing. If a person or group of people proves untrustworthy to the society, then the criminal justice system must ensure that such individuals stay away for the community either for some time or permanently. The death penalty is the ultimate type of removing a person from society. However, today, life imprisonment is more favored than the death sentence.
Rehabilitation is another principle, purpose, and objective of sentencing. This type of sentencing gives the offenders a chance to change their behavior and become responsible citizens. It is a form of sentencing that is not very popular even with juries and judges in the criminal justice system, yet it is useful. This type of sentencing shows that anybody can change if given a chance and become responsible and productive members of society.
Restitution is another form of punishment that aims to make the victim feel whole again. It comes as a way of repairing or restoring the damages caused by the offender. It may not wholly bring the victim to his/her emotional state but will try as much as possible. Some crimes such as theft are easy to restitute because they can pay back or return the stolen goods and repair the damages. However, in crimes such as rape, murder, and violence, other forms of punishment can bring restorative justice to the victims.