Southern New Hampshire University
CJ-207 The United States Judicial System
Week Seven Notes
Sentencing Guidelines
Criminal Courts, Chapter 12: Sentencing
What are the goals in sentencing?
What is the purpose of punishment?
1. Retribution: The idea that people who break the law deserve to be punished, and
that the punishment should match the severity of the crime committed.
2. Rehabilitation: Involves preventing crime by reforming, or treating, offenders.
Methods used to reform or rehabilitate include individual or group counseling,
education, job training, substance abuse treatment, and behavior modification
programs.
3. Deterrence: Means of preventing an offender from reoffending or discouraging
others from following his or her example. The idea is that potential offenders will
refrain from committing a crime if they believe the odds of getting caught and
being severely punished are high and are not outweighed by any anticipated gain
from the crime.
4. Incapacitation: Involves locking up dangerous or high-risk offenders to prevent
them from committing crimes in the future.
In what states is the death penalty legal?
The death penalty is legal in the following states:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina,
Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and
Wyoming
What are determinate and indeterminate sentencing?
Determinate sentencing is a sentencing system in which the legislature provides a
