Sentencing

Sentencing is the judicial process of selecting and imposing a penalty after a criminal conviction. It applies legal rules and sentencing purposes to an individual case.

Sentencing guidelines: Rules or advisory frameworks that structure the choice of criminal penalties. They help translate offense and offender characteristics into a recommended sentencing range.
Criminal conviction: A formal determination that a person is guilty of a criminal offense. A conviction ordinarily establishes the basis for criminal sentencing.
Probation: A court-ordered period of supervision in the community, often imposed instead of or alongside incarceration. It allows a sentence to impose supervision and conditions without full-time imprisonment.
Determinate sentencing: A sentencing system that assigns a fixed term or a narrow, specified range of punishment. It contrasts with systems that leave release timing more open-ended.
Proportionality (law): The legal principle that a punishment should not be excessive in relation to the offense. It provides a standard for judging whether a sentence is too severe.
Presentence investigation report: A report prepared before sentencing that summarizes an offender’s background and circumstances of the offense. Judges use it to assess personal circumstances and relevant risks before imposing a sentence.
Statutory penalty: A punishment or range of punishments prescribed by legislation for an offense. Statutes set legal boundaries on the penalties a court may impose.
Imprisonment: The confinement of a person in a prison or other custodial institution as punishment. Custodial sentences are among the most restrictive penalties courts impose.
Indeterminate sentencing: A sentencing system that sets a range of confinement, with release timing shaped by later decisions. It gives correctional authorities a role in determining how long confinement lasts.
Sentencing disparity: Differences in sentences imposed for similar offenses that are not explained by relevant circumstances. Unequal outcomes raise concerns about consistency and equal treatment.

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