Hello, My name is Lisa Stanek.  I am married to my husband Jeff and we have two teenagers, Ryan and Cole.  I am working to complete my degree in Criminal Justice Administration and have 6 more classes to go after this term. I have worked at the same company for 33 years, I am in the Security field focusing on asset protection and risk mitigation. I am in a management role with many younger investigators reporting to me. A policy at my organization is a duty to act, report and disclose. I regularly investigate incidents that revolve around a lot of poor decision making. Setting any bias aside when you are about to sit in front of someone to take their testimony is important to me. This softer approach in conjunction with observations of verbal and non-verbal cues moves results in a positive resolution.

The goals of punishment related to sentencing will shift and we will see a change in society related to the retribution theory. The retribution theory is the harshest form of punishment. The principle surrounds how much punishment imposed on the offender depends on how much harm done by the offender (Hemmens et al., Criminal courts: A contemporary perspective 2023). Many states have omitted the ability to impose the death penalty and shifting to a softer approach with options for rehabilitation. Judges should be allowed discretion when sentencing. Laws cannot cover all the extra peculiarities surrounding a person who is about to be sentenced who committed a crime.  Law cannot completely interpret the exceptions or circumstances that an individual is facing when a crime is committed.  Judges sentencing consider the type of crime that was committed.  Severe crimes or minor crimes determine the outcome.  A judge should tailor the sentence to fit the criteria of the crime and offender. (Hemmens et al., Criminal courts: A contemporary perspective 2023).  Judges who sentence based on the harsher theory will not impact the defendant charged with harsher or longer sentences. Capital punishment allowance by state in the U.S shows that this method is only authorized by 28 states. The criteria is specifically defined to be able to impose capital punishment in those approved states (Hemmens et al., Criminal courts: A contemporary perspective 2023).

 Hemmens, Craig, et al. Criminal Courts. Available from: MBS Direct, (5th Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc. (US), 2021.

For your two responses, choose peers who have a different view on the future of a goal of sentencing. Describe the differences in your thinking with their initial posts, and note whether they shared anything that changed your viewpoint.