Rape And Burglary As A Post Incarceration Supervision

and burglary as strikes for purposes of imposing a life sentence without parole (Sutton, 2013). Mandatory minimums take away the discretion of the judge in sentencing. These officials are bound by statute to place offenders behind bars. Because these statutes are put into place, the judge is not allowed to hand down alternative punishments, nor do they give them the opportunity to prescribe treatment or a change to rehabilitate. Such laws also hold racial discriminatory factors (USSC, 2011). Determinate sentences are those in which the offender is given a fixed term that might be reduced based on good behavior or earned time. There is usually underlying expectations on the amount of punishment and a set release date with no review by†¦show more content†¦Sentencing guidelines are a mechanism used to apply determinate sentencing. They are a set of standards that are put in place to establish rational and consistent sentencing methods. These are set for cases that were tried because of racial disparities and biases in the courts. They are set in particular jurisdictions. These guidelines were put in place to limit the discretion of the judicial system and limit the disparities that are present in the courts as well as to promote more rational and informed sentencing policies. In addition, these guidelines are a system of recommended sentences that are based upon offender and offence characteristics. Offense characteristics are rules that set the standards for the seriousness of the offense in most sentence guidelines. This classification is typically based on how the crime is seen by legislatures. It is not determined on how the offender committed a certain crime. For example, theft that occurred on an unoccupied building would be categorized as less serious than assault with a weapon. The characteristics of an offender are things that are unique to the individual. These could be things such as the number and type of past offenses whether they are felonies, misdemeanors, or juvenile delinquencies. In other instances, they can be whether an offender was under a custody status at the time of the offense (Frase Mitchell, 2016). The characteristics of both of these entities are then placed on a