Does an offender have the right to be punished? The right to be punished may sound like an
oxymoron but it is not necessarily so. With the emergence of modern criminal law the offender
gained the right to be punished by rational criminal law rather than being lynched by an angry
mob. The present-day offender may have the right to be punished by doctrinal sentencing rather
than being subjected to verdicts based on vague unclear and uncertain principles. In modern
criminal law the imposition of criminal liability follows accurate and strict rules whereas
there are no similar rules for the imposition of punishment. The process of sentencing is vague
and obscure as are the considerations used for the imposition of punishments. The objective of
the present book is to propose a comprehensive general and legally sophisticated theory of
modern doctrinal sentencing. The challenges of such a legal theory are plenty and complex. In
addition to increasing clarity and certainty modern doctrinal sentencing must deal with modern
types of delinquency (e.g. organized crime recidivism corporate offenders high-tech offenses
etc.) and modern principles of criminal law. Modern doctrinal sentencing must serve to ensure
optimal sentencing.
