No Consensus Exists on How the Courts Should Punish the Guilty

Multiple Choice

No consensus exists on how the courts should punish the guilty, perhaps due to the fact that five different philosophical principles guide sentencing in the United States: retribution, incapacitation, deterrence, rehabilitation, and restoration. These sentencing philosophies differ in important ways. Some focus on past behavior, whereas others are future-oriented. Some stress that the punishment should fit the crime, whereas others emphasize that punishment should fit the criminal. These issues influence contemporary thinking about sentencing.


-The idea that the sentence of one offender should be a warning to others is inherent in what sentencing philosophy?

A) Retribution
B) Incapacitation
C) Deterrence
D) Rehabilitation