The aims of custodial sentencing
- Custodial sentencing refers to the sentence given by a judge which results in an individual being sent to prison/young offenders institution/secure hospital
- The type and severity of custodial sentence will depend on a number of factors e.g. the nature of the crime committed, the degree of remorse shown by the offender and the laws/legislation of the specific country (or in some cases like the USA the state) in which the crime was committed
- There is much debate as the effectiveness of custodial sentencing as a solution to the problem of crime: some people believe that prison is a barbaric way of dealing with systemic societal shortcomings whereas others have a ‘lock them up and throw away the key’ attitude
- The aims of custodial sentencing are as follows:
- Deterrence: crime is bad for society ergo any attempts to deter people from committing crime is good for everyone particularly if it prevents recidivism
- Incapacitation: criminals may be dangerous (and at the very least antisocial) so keeping them off the streets is done to protect innocent members of society and to ‘contain’ the danger in a secure environment
- Rehabilitation: criminals may need help in re-adjusting to life outside after prison so programmes such as social skills training, CBT, employment and educational opportunities are designed to help them turn away from crime
- Retribution: criminals have damaged society and may have wrought great suffering on victims and their families ergo they must be punished (and be seen to be punished) in an ‘eye for an eye’-type reaction (i.e. custodial sentencing as a form of revenge for the crimes of the offender)
Exam Tip
When you are writing about custodial sentencing in an exam, be careful not to get caught up with the rights/wrongs of the topic: remember that you need to remain impartial and detached in exam answers. You should most definitely debate this topic and express your views in private (or even in a classroom environment) but the exam paper is not an appropriate forum in which to vent your personal feelings.
Custodial sentencing: justice? Or evidence that society is unfair?