Sentence

Fine

This penalty is one of the most ancient forms of punishment. It is applied in the criminal law of most states and is imposed usually for minor offenses (especially economic ones), as well as a supplement to other forms of punishment.

Suppression of civil rights

A criminal punishment is in the form of suppression of certain personal, civil and political rights. History knows many cases when suppression (disqualification) ended in recognition of the convicted “legally dead”. For example, legislation of many countries provides the prohibition to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities.

Forced labour

Various forms of involvement a criminal in forced labour for the benefit of the state and society can serve as a punishment. The most ancient and severe one was katorga (hard labour), the essence of which lied in the execution of servitude of the most serious and dangerous for health work. As a rule, it was connected with exile to remote areas. Currently, katorga is almost universally excluded from the system of criminal punishment due to inhumanity. At present the first place among the forms of punishment, including forced labour, occupies compulsory work, the essence of which is to execute by a convicted in free, from his main work or school, time community services, which are non-paid.

Corporal (physical) punishment

Corporal punishment is one of the oldest (along with the death penalty) punishments meaning causing physical pain or injury to those who should be punished. In particular, corporal punishments were known already to the laws of Hammurabi and were widely used in the Roman Empire. Especially massively corporal punishments were used during the period of feudalism. At present, almost all countries abolished corporal punishment. Its use is prohibited by many international conventions.

Forced relocation (displacement)

The punishment includes forced displacement of people from one place to another. Thus, the laws of many countries know such punishment as an exile, the essence of which was to relocate the convicted from the place of his (her) permanent or temporary residence to certain areas as a rule, fairly remote, with the mandatory demand to settle there for a fixed period or even permanently. Expulsion is a penalty of prohibition to reside in certain locations or areas within the state. In this case, unlike in case of exile, the convicted can choose his (her) place of residence at his (her) own wish. Currently, these forms of punishment are excluded from the criminal law in many countries.

Suspended (conditional) sentence

A suspended sentence is a legal term for a judge’s delaying of a defendants’ serving of a sentence after they have been found guilty, in order to allow the defendants to perform a period of probation. If the defendant does not break the law during that period, and fulfils the particular conditions of the probation, the judge usually dismisses the sentence. It is exercised in Australia (usually in order to alleviate the strain on overcrowded prisons), in Finland (“conditional imprisonment”), in Ireland (in 2016 it was ruled unconstitutional, Japan (it can be applied in cases where a sentence is for up to 3 years in prison), the United States (usually to first-time offenders who have committed a minor crime), the People's Republic of China (death sentences can also be suspended), in Russia.

Probation

Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by a court instead of serving time in prison. In some jurisdictions, the term probation only applies to community sentences, such as suspended sentences. In others, probation also includes supervision of those conditionally released from prison on parole. An offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer. During this testing period, an offender faces the threat of being sent back to prison, if found breaking the rules.

Deprivation of freedom (imprisonment)

One of the main forms of punishment used in modern criminal law is imprisonment, which means the forced placement of a perpetrator in a specialized establishment in which he (she) is isolated from the community, his (her) behaviour is supervised, and as well various measures of corrective treatment are applied to him (her) as well. As a rule, imprisonment is imposed to criminals who have committed serious crimes or to recidivists. Deprivation of freedom can be imposed for a fixed term or for life or without pointing a certain period. In imposing a sentence of imprisonment without a certain period the court establishes only a minimum term of a sentence. A criminal stays in a correctional establishment as long as its administration sets, basing the decision on the “correction” or “no correction” of the convicted. Imprisonment for an indefinite period was used as a punishment in some states of the USA.

Death penalty (death sentence) as capital punishment

Death penalty is deprivation of person’s life as a punishment, legalized by the state and executed in accordance with court sentence or (historically) in accordance with the decision of other governmental or military authorities.