Sentencing
When deciding what sentence to impose, magistrates and judges have to take account of both the facts of the case and the circumstances of the offender. To help them, they may ask the Probation Service to produce a report about the offender.
There are four types of sentence available to the courts, depending upon the seriousness of the crime. They are:
- discharges
- fines
- community punishments
- imprisonment
Community punishments can also include rehabilitation and making amends, such as ‘restorative justice’ where the criminal makes amends directly to his victim(s).
Imprisonment is used for the most serious offences and offenders. As well as sentencing guidelines, which judges and magistrates are given, all imprisonable offences have a maximum term laid down by Parliament. There are also minimum sentences for some serious repeat offenders.