US criminal justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

US criminal justice - Essay Example Before going into the discussion regarding affect of one’s opinion about the purpose of sentencing on selecting the most appropriate type of punishment, let us get a better understanding of what sentencing actually is.Sentencing is a stage in criminal justice system in which a judge decides a punishment for a criminal. The purpose of sentencing plays a very critical role in deciding the most suitable type of punishment because it makes a judge decide whether to satisfy the victim or to punish the offender according to the law. The judges, however, can make the decision on their own in a very few situations because they have to look at the punishment which is set in the law for any specific crime. The way the juries make a decision against criminals has been continuously changing with time (Renter). For some crimes, there are laws, which apply fines and banishment for the criminals whereas for some crimes, there are very harsh punishments set for the criminals. â€Å"Today the re are many things the criminal justice system aims to do by imposing punishments and sentences† (Renter). One’s belief in the purpose of sentencing plays a crucial role in reducing the crime rate from a country. In the US criminal justice system, the aim of the judges is to reduce the crime by sentencing the criminals on merit. The goal should be to make the criminals refrain from crimes by giving law-based punishments to the criminals. Some judges believe that sentencing should be a way to stop the criminals from committing crimes by giving harsh punishments to the criminals whereas others believe that sentencing should also involve will of the victims in order to satisfy the victims properly. Therefore, one’s belief about the purpose of sentencing plays a critical role in deciding appropriate punishments for the criminals. Answer: No: 2 Some of the most famous sentencing models in the United States include indeterminate sentencing, determinate sentencing, and mandatory sentencing. Indeterminate Sentencing In indeterminate sentencing, the judges state a minimum and maximum length of imprisonment for the criminals depending on the nature of the crime committed by them. It is the most widely used sentencing model in the United States of America (Siegal 498). The minimum time of imprisonment is must for all criminals whereas the maximum time depends on some specific circumstances. The model gives power to the judges to decide the number of years for the imprisonment of the criminal by providing the judges with both limits for the years of imprisonment. Indeterminate sentencing provides range and flexibility to the judges by giving them the power to decide the appropriate duration for imprisonment of the criminals. Determinate Sentencing Determinate sentences are fixed terms of incarceration in which the offender has to spend a specific number of years in the prison. In determinate sentencing, there is a set of guidelines for the judges that define the parameters to be followed while deciding the sentences. For rehabilitation purposes, determinate sentencing model is too restrictive as compared to indeterminate sentencing. A good thing about the determinate sentencing model is that the offender keeps in mind the punishment for any specific crime and hesitates to commit the crime and go back to jail for anther term of imprisonment. Mandatory Sentencing Another type of sentencing model is mandatory sentencing in which a judge has to give a mandatory punishment to the criminal because in this model of sentencing, a judge has little or no control over the punishment set for any specific crime. Mandatory sentencing restricts sentencing disparity and limits individualized sentencing by limiting the discretionary power of the judges to impose any kind of disposition. Mandatory sentencing has helped the government of the United States reduce the overall number of crimes by incarcerating the offenders who might have