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In this Very Short Introduction Julian V. Roberts identifies the principal objectives of the criminal justice system and the way in which it works around the world. Analysing a number of case studies about a wide variety of issues, including court processes, sentencing, and prison life, he draws upon the latest research and practice.
How do sentencing guidelines affect judicial practice? Can public opinion influence the development of these guidelines and what role does the victim have? How do barristers use the guidelines in practice? These questions and more are addressed in this volume examining the English sentencing guidelines and how they function.
This innovative volume explores a fundamental issue in the field of sentencing: the factors which make a sentence more or less severe. All sentencing systems allow courts discretion to consider mitigating and aggravating factors, and many legislatures have placed a number of such factors on a statutory footing. Yet many questions remain regarding the theory and practice of mitigation and aggravation. Drawing on legal and sociological perspectives and examining mitigation and aggravation in various jurisdictions, the essays provide practical illustrations of specific factors as well as theoretical justifications. After the foreword by Andrew von Hirsch, a number of contributors address broad conceptual issues raised at sentencing. These contributions are followed by several empirical chapters including an exploration of personal mitigation in English courts. The authors are leading scholars from a range of common law jurisdictions including England and Wales, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
This new, third edition of Principled Sentencing offers students of law, legal philosophy, criminology and criminal justice a wide-ranging selection of the leading scholarship on contemporary sentencing. The volume offers readers critical readings relating to the key moral, philosophical and policy issues in sentencing today. It contains many new readings on subjects that have recently emerged and which have consequences for sentencing in many jurisdictions. The contents of each chapter consists of a selection of readings, some very recent, some more timeless - but each in its own way important to the field. As before, each chapter begins with an introduction by one of the editors accompanied by a selection of further readings. All the chapters have been substantially revised, as have the editorial introductions.
Throughout the western world public opinion has played an important role in shaping criminal justice policy. At the same time opinion polls repeatedly demonstrate that the public knows little about crime and justice, and holds negative views of the criminal justice system. This book, consisting of chapters from leading authorities in the field, is concerned to address this problem, and draws upon research in a number of different countries to address the issues arising from this state of affairs. Its main aims are: to explore the changing and evolving nature of public attitudes to sentencing to examine the factors that influence public opinion and to bring together recent international research which has demonstrated ways in which public attitudes can be changed to propose specific strategies to respond to the crisis in public confidence in criminal justice.
This latest volume in the Penal Theory and Penal Ethics series addresses one of the oldestquestions in the field of criminal sentencing: should an offender's previous convictions affect the sentence? Although there is an extensive literature on the definition and use of criminal history information, the emphasis here is on the theoretical and normative aspects of considering previous convictions at sentencing. Several authors explore the theory underlying the practice of mitigating the punishments for first offenders, while others put forth arguments for enhancing sentences for recidivists.
The five countries examined are the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Murder is often regarded as both the 'ultimate' and a unique crime, and whereas courts are normally given discretion in sentencing offenders, for murder the sentence is mandatory – indeterminate imprisonment. Since the crime and the punishment come as a 'package deal' this book looks at both the legal nature of the offence and at the current operation of the mandatory life sentence. Not only does the book adopt a critical approach, by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the status quo, it also draws upon comparative material from both common and civil law jurisdictions in an attempt to provide a comprehensive exploration of these issues. The need for public confidence in the criminal...
This book is the first collective work devoted exclusively to the ethical and penal theoretical considerations of the use of artificial intelligence at sentencing. Jesper Ryberg and Julian V. Roberts bring together leading experts in the field to investigate to what extent, and under which conditions, justice and the social good may be promoted by allocating parts of the most important task of the criminal court--that of determining legal punishment--to computerized sentencing algorithms.
Which factors shape public opinion of criminal justice? How do the views of the public influence criminal justice policy and practice? This book provides an introduction to public attitudes towards criminal justice. It explores the public’s lack of confidence in criminal justice processes, and summarizes findings on public attitudes towards the three principal components of the criminal process: the police, the courts, and the prison system. It examines the importance that people attach to different criminal justice functions, such as preventing crime, prosecuting and punishing offenders, and protecting the public. Topics include: Youth justice and public opinion Public perception of resto...