StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Theories of Sentencing and Punishment - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Over the decades, the concept of punishment and its practical application has drawn the attention of the people around the globe. Jurists have rigorously approached to undertake the reform initiatives for the existing mechanism of punishment and rehabilitate the offenders in the society giving them back the opportunity o lead a sound life alike other people of the society
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER96.8% of users find it useful
Theories of Sentencing and Punishment
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Theories of Sentencing and Punishment"

Download file to see previous pages

"Philosophical reflection on punishment has helped cause, and is itself partially an effect of, developments in the understanding of punishment that have taken place outside the academic world(STANFORD ENCYCLOPEDIA)i". In ordinary sense, punishment indicates a retributive treatment. Before going to the deeper, it is necessary to add that whatever the form of punishment may be, i. e. preventive, retributive, reformative and so on; the core purpose of punishment is to facilitate the offenders getting rectified and make other people conscious as to the negative impact of criminalities.

In this context, before providing the treatment to a particular offender, the societal aspects of the offenders should be given utmost importance. In addition, it may also be reasoned that as without threat and coercion, the social order cannot be achieved the introduction of punishment for the prevention of crimes and maintaining social order is so necessary. The punishment awarded should be rational in proportion to the degree and nature of punishment. The effects of punishment have made people aware as to its consequences.

Thus, the philosophical outlook of punishment is greatly laid in assessing the merits of punishments awarded. But the habitual offenders or recidivist should not be treated alike to that of other offenders. Axiomatically speaking, punishment should not be so atrocious rendering inhumane; not violating the right of the offenders; should be proportional. Justifiability of the Theories of Punishment Countries have developed different theories of punishment while dispensing the criminal justice system in their respective legal systems.

Most prominent theories are deterrent, retributive, preventive and reformative. Principally, the purpose of deterrent theory is to keep the offenders aloof from committing the crimes. They are made understood as to the negative implications of the crimes. Efforts are also made to help the offenders in making rational decision as regards the consequences of punishment. Reasonably, there is no unanimous opinion as regards the suitability of retributive theory. "There is a mix theory involving the traditional retributivism and utilitarian arguments along with some other theoretical ideas (Sentencing Law and Policy, 2005)ii".

Actually, neither of the punitive, retributive, or reformative treatment of punishment can serve the purpose of sustaining social instability. Both the punitive and reformative approach should be coordinated for the better result of punishment and help building the society in a sophisticated manner. Punishment should be provided all alike. But, "many federal white collar defendants spend their increasingly long sentences in still low-security (Mike, 2005)iii". In America, race, gender and age are most prominent considerations in case of sentencing and punishing the offenders.

"Young black males are sentenced more harshly than any other group and the influence of offender's age on sentencing is greater among males than females (STEFFENSMEIER, ULMER & KRAMER, 1998)iv". Statutory Provisions "Evidence of confessions or admissions is admissible in the court subject to certain conditions determining whether they are voluntary and/or reliable (Nobles & Schiff, 2000)v". It is certain that

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Theories of Sentencing and Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/law/1530071-theories-of-sentencing-and-punishment
(Theories of Sentencing and Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/law/1530071-theories-of-sentencing-and-punishment.
“Theories of Sentencing and Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/law/1530071-theories-of-sentencing-and-punishment.
  • Cited: 1 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Theories of Sentencing and Punishment

Issues with the Criminal Justice System

State laws and the Constitution govern sentencing and make sure that punishment and sentences are appropriate and just.... Fundamental Philosophies of the Purpose of sentencing There are a lot of objectives why punishment and sentencing are imposed.... The death penalty is imposed based on the theories of deterrence and retribution.... hellip; Thus there exist a number of theories why punishment and sentencing are enforced.... The following are the major purposes why punishment and sentencing are served: general and specific deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, retribution, and reformation are just some of these goals (Renter, 2008)....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The Effect of Sentencing

Running head: THE EFFECT of sentencing The Benefits, Drawbacks, and Deterrence Effects of Various Forms of sentencing in the Criminal Justice System Author Author Affiliation Abstract How criminals in a justice system ought to be sentenced is relevant to how we deter individuals from committing crimes.... hellip; There are three commonly defined classes of sentencing—indeterminate, determinate, and mandatory.... The Benefits, Drawbacks, and Deterrence Effects of Various Forms of sentencing in the Criminal Justice System Sentencing is the product of a long process of bringing individuals to justice for their crimes and, as a result, it plays a crucial role in determining whether a criminal justice system is successful in achieving its purpose....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Criminological Theory

Under this school of thought, a criminal is believed to have a mindset that tells him that his criminal behavior will be more acceptable provided that rewards he will be getting from his criminal act will be far greater than the punishment that he will be getting once he is caught in the act of committing the crime.... The neoclassical theorists believe that the level and severity of punishment for a culprit should be based upon the level of guilt of the person....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Theories of Punishment: Determining Conviction and Sentencing

The aim of the document "theories of Punishment: Determining Conviction and Sentencing" is to evaluate the effectiveness of various forms of punishment adopted in the modern justice system.... hellip; Criminal law as currently practiced is centered around the administration of punishment to the offenders, for purposes of retribution for their actions and to function as an effective deterrent to others from committing similar crimes.... One of the difficulties in effectively applying punishment to solve the problem of crime is that punishment serves multiple goals....
7 Pages (1750 words) Literature review

Administering the Death Penalty to Child Molesters

From these statistics, the ineffectiveness of the current state of punishment for the offense of child molestation is quite evident.... This imparts the need for a radical change in the policy of punishment for the child molesters.... The current policy that provides the child molesters with an opportunity to be released from punishment after some time is totally unacceptable because harming a child is a heinous crime for which the offender must not be provided with an opportunity of rehabilitation....
5 Pages (1250 words) Term Paper

Utilitarian Theories of Punishment

Utilitarian theories of punishment will serve as the focus of this discussion.... … Utilitarian punishment holds the argument that punishment is justified only in incidences which serve to reduce future criminal acts.... Theory's regarding punishment is usually either retributive or utilitarian (Rawls).... theories that are utilitarian are frequently seen as the opposing position and are often used in consideration of the future....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Theories of Punishment and Sentencing

This discussion “theories of Punishment and Sentencing” will examine the effectiveness of non-custodial punishments from both perspectives referencing each in its relation to imprisonment in an effort to illustrate this new method of justice as it compares to the prison system....  People accept that some types of offenders require different, possibly non-custodial punishment.... People accept that some types of offenders require different, possibly non-custodial punishment requiring community service, curfews, and tagging....
10 Pages (2500 words) Assignment

Theories of Punishment and Sentencing

This paper "theories of Punishment and Sentencing" discusses the case of Harold Smith convicted of pick-pocketing, and the case of Mary Jones convicted of stealing money from her employer.... hellip; The crime is addictive and the boy may never stop it if severe punishment is not applied.... The boy should also be subjected to corporal punishment while on probation.... First, his age might not allow him to make a proper judgment regarding petty crimes such as pick-pocketing and therefore severe punishment such as the death penalty can not be appropriate....
7 Pages (1750 words) Case Study
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us