This book provides an accessible and systematic restatement of the desert model for criminal sentencing, by one of the model's leading academic exponents. The desert model emphasises the degree of seriousness of the offender's crime in deciding the severity of his punishment. It has become increasingly influential in recent penal practice and scholarly debate. The book explains why sentences should be based principally on crime-seriousness. It addresses, among other topics, how a desert-based penalty scheme can be constructed; how to gauge punishments' seriousness and penalties' severity;...