Denunciation in the context of sentencing philosophy

Sentence (law)

In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...

 refers to the disapproval of an act by society that is expressed by the imposition of a sentence. This can be considered as one of the purposes of sentencing, as well as being a possible justification for the imposition of a sentence.

Denunciation arguments can be used to justify more serious sentences than are required by the principles of retribution

Retributive justice

Retributive justice is a theory of justice that considers that punishment, if proportionate, is a morally acceptable response to crime, with an eye to the satisfaction and psychological benefits it can bestow to the aggrieved party, its intimates and society....

 and deterrence

Deterrence (legal)

Deterrence is the use of punishment as a threat to deter people from committing a crime. Deterrence is often contrasted with retributivism, which holds that punishment is a necessary consequence of a crime and should be calculated based on the gravity of the wrong done.- Categories :Deterrence can...

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Denunciation arguments can also be used to justify the existence of laws which are never in practice enforced; they stand as statements of a society's values rather than working parts of a criminal justice system.