Incarceration and Alternative Sanctions Incarceration and alternative sanctions are both methods of reducing crime and recidivism. They should be punishments for the offender and deterrent to other possible offenders. Incarceration is when an offender is placed in a jail or prison with time to think about and repent of their crime. With incarceration the offender will suffer various consequences once the sentence has been served, which Skye defines as deprivation of liberty, heterosexual relationships, security, services and autonomy (Thistlethwaite 2014). “When Patrick Henry addressed the Virginia House of Burgesses and declared, “Give me liberty or give me death!” he involuntarily identified the perfect penalty. Incarceration gives convicts who are still punished while giving back to the community and being rehabilitated or treated. Although alternative sanctions appear to enjoy more freedom, offenders are still limited in what they can do and their choices. The offender and other possible offenders are deterred from committing a crime because they are still punished through these sanctions and sometimes have to perform more physical labor as punishment (Travis III 2012). Violators are still incapacitated, in the sense that they are still controlled by an authority, although in some cases more than in others. Offenders still have to obey the terms of their punishment and still have no choice in the matter. Alternative sanctions offer greater rehabilitation and treatment services than would be offered if the offender were incarcerated (Travis III 2012). They can work to give back to their community and better themselves by changing their perspective on committing a crime. There is still a stigma associated with alternative sanctions, however the purpose of alternative sanctions is to bring about a positive change to the offender, rather than incarceration where the punishment is more of revenge for the crime committed (Travis III