Unit 6.3 Notes
Punishing Convicted Criminals
The ______– responsible for carrying out any sentence handed down by a court
- A court has many options for how they can attempt to “punish” a person for breaking a law.
- These punishments are used as ______to prevent people from committing more crimes.
- Deterrence – something aimed at stopping criminal behavior by ______.
Types of Punishment / Definition / Example
to prepare a person to live in our society without committing more crimes / Bob commits a crime, serves a sentence, then leads a life without committing more crimes.
Retribution / If you murder someone, you get at least 20 years in prison.
Prison time / 20 years in prison
Fines / $250 fine for littering
A convicted criminal may not leave their home address / A person has to wear an ankle bracelet that monitors the criminal’s location and if they leave their home they are immediately arrested.
Suspended Sentence / Some judges can give a punishment, but not enforce that punishment – if someone commits more crimes, the punishment will go into effect immediately / Jim steals an MP3 player. Because it is his first offense, the judge sentences him to 30 days in prison. He does not have to go to prison, though, if he stays out of trouble.
Death Penalty (Capital Punishment) / Lethal Injection
Meeting with a trained counselor to discuss behavior/issues that lead to criminal activity and try to help the criminal cope with those issues to prevent further crimes / Alcoholics Anonymous, Anger management
Restitution / Loss of wages, pain and suffering
If a convicted criminal has been given a sentence, they can sometimes be eligible for parole.
- ______– being released from prison before the end of your sentence because of good behavior.
- ______has become a serious issue and unfortunately it has led to court’s being more lenient with punishments and often has judges looking for options other than prison time.
About ______of the people who have been convicted of a crime, end up committing more crimes once they have served their previous sentence. These people are called ______– repeat offenders. As the recidivist rate increases, it indicates that the Department of Corrections is not adequately rehabilitating convicted criminals.
In an effort to discourage criminals from committing more crimes, some states have started using ______. Three Strikes laws say that once a person has been convicted with three or more felonies, they automatically receive an extended sentence of anywhere from 30 years to life in prison.