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GCSE Citizenship Studies · key term
A punishment imposed by a court on someone who has pleaded guilty to, or been found guilty of, a criminal offence.
Used by AQA and Edexcel
Paper 2
Revise: Punishment and SentencingA sentence is the punishment a court imposes after someone pleads guilty to, or is found guilty of, a crime. Sentencing is not simply a choice between being harsh and being lenient. Courts must consider the seriousness of the offence, the harm to victims and what the sentence should achieve.
Paper 1, Paper 2
A punishment imposed by a judge or magistrates on someone convicted of a criminal offence.
Distinguish a sentence’s purpose from its outcome: prison aims to deter, but that does not prove it prevents reoffending.
Date any reoffending figures you use. Different groups receive different sentences, so a lower rate does not by itself prove that the sentence caused the improvement.
A suspended sentence is a custodial sentence that is not put into effect immediately, not the same thing as a community order.
Create a free account to keep every note you open and track your progress.
In the criminal justice system of England and Wales, a sentence is the punishment a court gives someone who has been convicted of a crime. Conviction follows either a guilty plea or a finding of guilt. Judges or magistrates then decide the sentence: the police do not choose it.
