Custodial Sentencing

• What are the aims of custodial sentencing?

  • Retribution
  • Incapacitation
  • Rehabilitation
  • Deterrence
• Retribution


  Society getting their revenge on the offender, with the level of punishment to be equal to the severity of offence.
• Incapacitation


  Keeping society safe from offenders by locking them up
• Deterrence


  Unpleasant conditions of prisons is meant to deter people from offending
• Rehabilitation


  Prison's should provide opportunities to develop skills to change offending habits, such as CBT.
• Recidivism


  Reoffending, a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of offending, usually repeatedly.
• Recidivism rates in ex prisoners tell us to what extent prison acts as a deterrent. Yukhenko (2019) found that in the UK, the proven rate (rate of caught offenders) has been around 45% in the last few years. In the US, Australia and Denmark, proven rates are regularly in excess of 60%. In Norway, proven rates are as low as 20%. These different figures are due Norways greater emphasis on rehabilitation and skills development, and less on incarceration.
• Factors influencing reoffending rates

  • time period after release
  • age
  • type of crime
  • country