The Five Main Aims of Sentencing
When judges sentence offenders, they're not just picking punishments randomly. The Criminal Justice Act 2003 gives them five clear goals to work towards.
Punishment is probably what you'd expect - offenders get what they deserve, usually prison time for violent crimes. There are tariff sentences that act as starting points for specific offences, so similar crimes get similar punishments.
Deterrence works in two ways. Individual deterrence tries to stop the actual offender from reoffending, while general deterrence sends a message to everyone else in the community - basically saying "don't try this at home."
Reform and rehabilitation gives prisoners the chance to change through education and programmes. This is especially important for drug addicts who steal to feed their addiction - treating the root cause rather than just the symptom.
Remember: Protection of the public becomes crucial for violent offenders like serial killers who pose a serious risk of harm to others.
