Unit 4 2.3

• Fines


  Financial penalties given out for less serious crimes such as littering and driving
• Penalties


  Can also be given out with more serious crimes
• Fines

  • Reflect the seriousness of the crime
  • Reflect the income of the offender
  • Reflect whether it was the offender's first offence or not
• Paying fines


  1. Offender can pay in instalments

  2. Money can be deducted from the offender's benefits
• Fines


  Meet the aim of retribution by taking away some of the individual's wealth
• 61% of fines often go unpaid
• Fines

  Meet the aim of reparation by requiring the offender to pay compensation to victims or society
• Fines do not meet the aim of reparation for mental trauma
• Fines

  Do not meet the aim of deterrence as they affect the working class more due to their inability to pay - not an effective deterrence if fine is not collected
• Suspended sentence


  Imposed if a prison sentence is less than 12 months, the sentence never goes away, individual must adhere to conditions given by the courts, if conditions are broken they will serve a prison sentence
• Suspended sentences do not meet the aims of rehabilitation due to it not being enough time to work on someone's qualifications and skills
• 64% recidivism rate for short sentences
• Suspended sentences act as a deterrence


  Individuals do not like the idea of having their freedom taken away if they commit a crime
• Suspended sentences act as an effective general deterrence


  Individuals are aware the sentence hangs over them
• Suspended sentences do not meet the aims of deterrence
• Some crimes are done due to irrational behaviour such as under the influence of alcohol and drugs or mental health issues
• Suspended sentences do not meet the aims of retribution
• Suspended sentences are seen as too lenient as they are used on first time offenders
• Community sentences


  An act of paying back to the community as a form of punishment
• Community sentences

  1. Utter picking

  2. Clearing up the area by painting
• Unpaid work


  Can be sentenced to do between 40-300hrs of work depending on the crime committed
• Community sentences


  • The individual can also receive conditions such as a curfew, electronic tag, and a residence order which they must follow
• Community sentences

  Meet the aims of public protection due to it giving restricted areas and movement for the offender which they must follow to further protect the public
• Community sentences

  Do not meet the aims of punishment as an individual is not taken off the streets from this they can offend or cause harm at any given moment
• Community sentences


  Meet the aims of rehabilitation due to the approximated recidivism rate being 34% and it gives suggestion that people modify their behaviour by support of therapy and anger management programs which can be one of their conditions from the sentence
• Community sentences have declined due to them being dropped from 14% to 8% from 2007 to 2017
• Community sentences


  Do not act as a deterrence due to it being argued that it is an easy way out of harsh punishment
• Community sentences


  Can deter someone from reoffending as they do not want to lose money due to it being unpaid work
• Two aims of probation as a court punishment are public protection and reparation
• Prison sentences


  Used for the most serious offences or persistent offenders
• Types of prison sentences


  • Life sentences (with a minimum term before parole can be considered)
  • Determinate sentences (with a definite length, offender serves half the sentence)
  • Suspended sentences (for less serious crimes, offender receives conditions instead of prison)
• Rehabilitation in prisons


  1. Education and skill schemes

  2. Work on reintegrating offenders back into society with modified behaviour
• Prisons do not meet the aims of rehabilitation


  High recidivism rates (48% for determinate sentences, 64% for short sentences, 86% for under 18s)
• Public protection


  Prisons keep offenders away from society, allowing normal life and harmony
• Prisons do not always meet the aims of public protection


  Prisons act as a "crime university" where offenders can learn from each other
• Prisons are an expensive form of keeping the public safe, costing an average of £41k per year to keep someone incarcerated