Goals Of Criminal Sentencing: Affect The Decisions Of Restorative Justice

Goals of Criminal Sentencing Sentencing refers to the imposition of a criminal sanction by a judicial authority. Our society looks to sentencing to achieve an assortment of goals. A Legislator’s view point of these goals for punishment will affect their decisions of sentencing. The five goals that legislators consider are: retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, rehabilitation, and restoration. Each of these goals will be discussed and how they all correspond with each other in a sentencing of the death penalty. The first of the five goals of sentencing is retribution. This goal is pretty cut and dry because it states that “we are justified in punishing because and only because offenders deserve it” (Moore 1992: 188). Those who do the crime must ultimately do the time. This punishment should be appropriate to the type and severity of the crime committed. Retributivists look at the

Instead of focusing on crime prevention, restoration focuses on repairing the harm done to the victim and the community. Along with restoring property and personal injuries, restoration is meant to bring back some kind of security. Legislators and victims want to know that justice has been done. Van Ness and Strong (1997: 8-9) suggested three core principles for the nature of restorative justice. First, Justice requires the healing of victims, offenders, and communities injured by the crime. Also, they should be permitted to stay involved in the justice process in a timely manner. Lastly, the government should be responsible for preserving a just order and the community should be responsible for establishing peace. The victims family in a murder case can have a since of relief when the offender is sentenced to the death penalty. They can know that justice has been done and will have a sense of security knowing the offender cannot harm anyone else again. The family can now mourn over there loss more