AC2.3
Assess how forms of punishment meet the aims of punishment
The aims of sentencing
What are sentences for?
One of the aims of sentencing is to punish the offender for the crime they have committed. There are other important aims such as preventing crime happening in the future so more people don’t become victims of the same offender.
There are five purposes of sentencing the courts must bear in mind when dealing with the vast majority of adult offenders. These purposes are set out in s.57 of the Sentencing Code.
To punish the offender – this can include going to prison, doing unpaid work in the community, obeying a curfew or paying a fine.
To reduce crime – by preventing the offender from committing more crime, and putting others off from committing similar offences.
To reform and rehabilitate offenders – changing an offender’s behaviour to prevent future crime, for example by requiring them to have treatment for drug addiction or alcohol abuse.
To protect the public – from the offender and from the risk of more crimes being committed by them. This could be by putting them in prison, restricting their activities or supervision by probation.
To make the offender give something back – for example, by the payment of compensation or through restorative justice. Restorative justice gives victims the chance to tell offenders about the impact of their crime and receive an apology.
Patterns of sentencing
Scroll through the page to the left to look at the infographic showing patterns of sentencing for adult offenders.
Imprisonment
Imprisonment is the most severe sentence available to the courts. Custodial sentences are reserved for the most serious offences and are imposed when the offence committed is “so serious that neither a fine alone nor a community sentence can be justified for the offence” (section 230(2) of the Sentencing Code).
Types of custodial sentence
There are a number of different types of prison sentence that the courts can impose:
Suspended sentences
Determinate sentences
Extended sentences
Life sentences
Click on each type of sentence below to find out more
Does imprisonment meet its punishment aims?
Bromley Briefings - Winter 2024
Winter-2024-factfile.pdf
Does a sentence of imprisonment protect the public?
Community sentences
The Prison reform trust: Effective community sentences
Fines
Daily Mail Article - published 18th February 2022
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Fines on Summary Conviction) Regulations 2015, made under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, came into force on 12 March 2015. The general effect of the new regulations was to remove the cap on the amount of fines that magistrates’ courts can impose.
Magistrates can now impose higher financial penalties on offenders who have committed “level five” offences. The new regulations do not affect the powers of magistrates to impose prison sentence of up to six months and to refer more serious cases to the Crown Court for sentencing.
In this Impact Assessment report it explains that "The Government believes that financial penalties, set at the right level, can be just as effective as a community sentence at deterrence and punishment. It believes that there are persuasive arguments in favour of using financial penalties for many offenders before turning to other sanctions."
