Sentencing the Multiple Offender: In Search of a 'Just and Proportionate'' Total Sentence

The multiple offender will receive a shorter (perhaps much shorter) sentence if she or he is dealt with for several offenses on a single sentencing occasion than if sentenced for those same offenses on two or more separate sentencing occasions. This is the “discount for bulk offending,” a practice which is widely adopted in different sentencing systems but which is hard to justify theoretically, either in retributive or deterrent terms. In this chapter we focus on custodial sentences, where the issues are at their most stark.