Aims of Custodial Sentencing

• Custodial sentencing involves a convicted offender spending time in prison, hospital or young offender's institute.
• Deterrence

  Deterrence is based on conditioning principles (punishment and vicarious punishment):

  • Individual deterrence - the unpleasant experience of Prison is designed to put an individual off repeating the same crime again.

  • General deterrence - send a message to members of society that crime will not be tolerated.
• Incapacitation

  Ensures that the offender is taken out of society which protects the public from further offending. The need for incapacitation depends on the severity of the crime.
• Retribution

  Society enacting revenge by making the offender suffer. The level of suffering should be proportionate to the severity of the crime.
• Rehabilitation

  Reform of the offender (learns new attitudes and values and stops being an offender). Prison should provide an opportunity to, for example, develop skills, access treatments e.g. for addiction or anger and reflect on crime.