Sentencing guidelines

Sentencing guidelines are rules or frameworks that promote consistency in choosing and measuring penalties. Some jurisdictions use detailed grids or presumptive ranges; others rely on statutory criteria and judicial reasoning. Swiss sentencing is guided by legal principles such as culpability, proportionality, prevention, personal circumstances, and the statutory penalty range, rather than a comprehensive guideline grid of the kind found in some common-law systems. The comparative value of guidelines lies in transparency, equality, and predictability, balanced against individualised justice.