Sentence (law)

A sentence is a decree of punishment. The factors to be considered in imposing a sentence may include, for example, the nature and circumstances of the offense and the history and characteristics of the defendant; the need for the sentence imposed to reflect the seriousness of the offense, to promote respect for the law, and to provide just punishment for the offense; the need for the sentence imposed to afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct; the need for the sentence imposed to protect the public from further crimes of the defendant; the need for the sentence imposed to provide the defendant with needed educational or vocational training, medical care, or other correctional treatment in the most effective manner; the kinds of sentences available; the kinds of sentence and the sentencing range established for the applicable category of offense committed by the applicable category of defendant as set forth in the sentencing guidelines; the need to avoid unwarranted sentence disparities among defendants with similar records who have been found guilty of similar conduct; and the need to provide restitution to any victims of the offense.

The upshot of this is that sometimes a defendant may be given a harsher sentence due to his being a diagnosed pedophile, or someone with a known interest in adult-child sex, even if the crime he was convicted of did not involve minors in any way. For example, a convicted bank robber known to be a NAMBLA member could theoretically receive a lengthier prison sentence on the grounds that the public must be protected from sex crimes he has not yet committed.