1.3.7 purposes of sanctions

• sanctions

  • suitable penalties for an offender
  • sanctions must be proportionate to the wrongdoing
• sanction purposes

  • punishment
  • deterrence
  • denunciation
  • protection
  • rehabilitation
• sanctions

  • most achieve at least one purpose and no other purpose than stated
  • sanction must not be more severe than necessary
• punishment - why?

  • penalise for wrongdoing
  • victims feel a sense of justice without taking the law into their own hand
• punishment - how?

  • highest punishment is imprisonment
• deterrence - why?

  • discourage offender and other from committing similar offences
• general deterrence discourages people in general from committing crime
• specific deterrence is aimed at stopping the specific offender from committing crimes again
• deterrence - how?

  • sanction must be serious enough to do so
  • media shares sanction publicly
• The sentencing purpose of deterrence is seeking to deter the offender or other persons from committing offences of the same or a similar character. 
• denunciation - why?

  • to show disapproval
  • conveys message that behaviour is not tolerated in court
  • often emphasises when lots of people might do it
• denunciation - how?

  • statistics to show disapproval
• Denunciation – to denounce, condemn or censure the offender's behaviour (that is, make it clear to the community the behaviour is wrong)
• protection - why?

  • ensures the safety of society by imposing a sanction which prevents them from harming again
  • violent and dangerous crimes
  • showing a lack of remorse
• protection - how?

  • imprisonment
• rehabilitation - why?

  • to treat offender
  • to help them change their way
• rehabilitation - how?

  • education
  • counselling