Читать книгу Criminology For Dummies - Steven Briggs - Страница 32

If a defendant is convicted, the judge decides what punishment to impose, although many states have reduced a judge’s discretion by passing laws that require mandatory sentences for certain serious crimes. Low-level offenses often don’t result in any jail time. Rather, a defendant may just receive a fine, some community service, and probation. But serious offenses can result in lengthy sentences.

A person sentenced to do time can go to either a local jail, usually run by a county sheriff, or a prison, run by a state or the federal government. Jail is usually reserved for shorter sentences, and prison often involves sentences of a year or more.

After serving their time, convicted persons are often placed on probation or parole, which means they have to comply with certain conditions imposed by the judge or else be sent back to jail or prison. Here are some typical probation conditions:

 Pay all court costs and fines

 Complete community service

 Attend all ordered treatment, such as drug treatment, anger management, or sex offender treatment

 Obey all laws (of course!)

In Chapter 21, I talk about the U.S. corrections system, which is made up of the jails, prisons, and probation services that house convicted defendants and attempt to get them back on a law-abiding track.