2.3

Question 1

Community service

Answer 1

Used when crimes are too serious for fines but not serious enough for a sentence.

Requirements:
-Probation officer supervision
- between 40-300h of unpaid work
- curfew/ exclusion order
- residency requirement
- group programmes/ treatments

Aims of punishment:
Retribution- elements of punishment, restricts freedoms
Deterrence- being labelled, embarrassment
Rehabilitation- CS aims to meet complex needs, 34% reoffend within 12 months of their CS
Public protection- does not meet aims, offenders are not removed from society.
Reparation- ideas offenders are giving back to their community.

Question 2

Fines

Answer 2

Size of fine depends on;
- the offence itself
-offenders ability to pay
-which court is hearing the offence

2 main aims-
Retribution and deterrence

Failure to pay may result in prison , deduct money from salaries/ seize material goods.
Amount of unpaid fines suggest it doesn’t meet aims, 623 million pounds in 2019

Question 3

Discharges

Answer 3

Conditional discharge:
Offenders wont be punished unless they reoffend (usaally within a year period) and if they do, they can be charged for both the original and new offence.

Unconditional discharge:
No penalty is imposed as the offender is technically guilty, but is morally blameless. This is usually always for minor offences apart from the Thirsk rail crash (1892).

Question 4

Prison sentences

Answer 4

Given in the most serious cases, or when it’s believed that removing offenders from society is the best option.

Types of sentences:
Life- most serious punishment, murder carries compulsory sentence.
Indeterminate- minimum terms an offenders must serve, no clear end date.
Determinate- fixed length sentence , whole term usually isn’t served e.g 12 months = 6 months
Suspended- can be for a maximum of 2 years, usually for sentences under a year.