Criminal Justice/200

CJS/200 class, sentencing paper, week 6

Sentencing Paper

Steven Bouton

CJS/200

April 1, 2012

Keith Ininch

Sentencing Paper

The six forms of punishment in the criminal justice system are the death penalty, imprisonment, probation, fines, house arrest, and community service. Thirty-eight states impose the death penalty for those who are found guilty of first degree murder. Probation is the most frequently used criminal sanction which is mostly used for nonviolent crimes and if the criminal is not a repeat offender. Probationers are required to obey the conditions of probation, such as obeying all the laws, paying restitution, reporting the probation officer on time, paying any fines, and subject to drug and alcohol testing. If a probationer is in violation of these stipulations, the probationer can revoke the probation and sentence them to serve jail time. Imprisonment means being incarcerated in centers operated mostly by county sheriffs. Jails are short-term lock-up and prisons are long-term lock-up facilities. Fines are very common for first time offenders convicted of petty crimes such as shoplifting, minor drug use or possession, and traffic tickets. If fines are not paid by order of the judge, the person will most likely serve jail time. House arrest is when a person is convicted of a minor offence and probably a repeated offender, but of less serious nature like drug use. House arrest is spent at home and so many yards from the home with an electronic device for monitoring. This is a good supplement for someone who may need to serve a little jail time or something similar without overpopulating the jail. Community service is another form of punishment for nonviolent offenders such as minor drug use that does not quite fit the bill for house arrest. Community service is serving time doing work that benefits the public such as picking up trash, planting trees, or washing graffiti off buildings and walls.