Judicial Precedent

A Judicial Precedent is a decision of the court used as a source for future decision making. This is known as stare decisis (to stand upon decisions) and by which precedents are authoritative and binding and must be followed. Thus eventually it creates a standardised fine, imprisonment or community order, so people can not complain or object to their unequal punishment compared to ones given to other people convicted of similar crimes. It also allows criminals to weigh up their options, so if a crime only results in a fine that the crime more than pays for if you get caught- its more than worth doing, but if the sentence is death you probably won't do it unless your really desperate or stupid!