A recent Ontario Superior Court decision reiterates the purposes served by sentencing in a criminal proceeding (R. v. Abdullahi 2015 ONSC 4163 (CanLII)). Section 718 of the Criminal Code sets down the purpose of sentencing and states that a sentence must:
a) denounce the unlawful conduct;
b) deter the offender, and others, from committing such an offence;
c) separate the offender from society, where necessary;
d) assist in the rehabilitation of the offender;
e) provide reparation for harm done; and
f) provide a sense of responsibility and acknowledgement for the harm done.
Section 718.1 of the Code requires the sentence to be proportionate to the offence and the degree of the offender’s responsibility. Further, sentencing shall not be used to serve as revenge for the harm done.
http://www.canlii.org/en/on/onsc/doc/2015/2015onsc4163/2015onsc4163.html
http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/page-418.html#h-263