Principled Sentencing

This anthology of essays and documents on criminal sentencing in both the American and British legal systems reflects major current ideas about sentencing theory and policy. The book contains seven chapters, each with an introduction by one of the volume editors and a bibliography of suggested further readings. The first four chapters present the theoretical underpinnings and the objectives of four distinct conceptions of punishment: rehabilitation, deterrence, incapacitation, and desert theory. The fifth chapter considers ways of structuring sentencing discretion. The sixth chapter, on community punishments, addresses alternative sentencing options in the form of noncustodial penalties. The book concludes with a chapter by the editors that places sentencing in a broader social context.