The Function and Effectiveness of Sentencing

Abstract

The prevention and control of delinquency can be attempted at different stages of the judicial process. Each stage can be associated with different procedures and techniques, although on occasion the same techniques may be applied at the various stages of the judicial system, as will become evident in the next chapter. Lundman (1984) argues that it is possible to identify three major prevention and control intervention points. The first stage comprises “predelinquent intervention”: that is, the primary objective is to prevent delinquency commencing in the first place. The second stage, “preadjudication intervention,” involves formal attempts to “divert” juveniles away from the judicial system into some form of counseling or crisis intervention. Finally, there is “post-adjudication intervention,” which is the central theme of this chapter, and this comprises the sentencing options available to judges and magistrates once the person has pleaded or been found guilty of an offense.