Learning Objectives

As a result of reading this chapter, you will be able to

  1. Delineate the four goals of punishment and explain the factors that influence the type of punishment that a convicted person will receive
  2. Describe the historical development of, and different philosophies regarding, crime and punishment from the colonial era to today, and how different types of prisons were built accordingly
  3. Describe the differences between, and purposes of, both determinate and indeterminate sentences
  4. Review federal and state-level sentencing guidelines
  5. Explain the law and purposes surrounding the use of victim impact statements
  6. Describe the fundamental arguments for and against capital punishment, including key Supreme Court decisions concerning its existence and application, methods of execution, and DNA exonerations from death sentences
  7. Describe aggravating and mitigating circumstances as they apply to sentencing decisions
  8. Explain the right to appeals by those who are convicted