Alternatives to unconditional imprisonment

The thesis is devoted to the issues of alternative punishments, this means punishments replacing unconditional sentence of imprisonment in the Czech Republic. It is divided into two parts, the introduction and the conclusion. The first part discusses the theoretical concept of punishment; the basic theories of punishment are mentioned briefly. It deals especially with the functions of punishment, as defined by the famous Czech penologist Oto Novotny in his monograph About Punishment and Prison system. Novotny identifies 8 basic functions of punishment, which cannot be strictly separated in his interpretation and that form mutually linked complex, which leads to the only target - protecting society from crime. The second part, which can be considered centre of gravity of this thesis, describes the regulation of alternative punishments in the Czech legal order. The explanation is selectively focused on the conditional sentence of imprisonment, also on the conditional sentence of imprisonment with supervision, community service order, fine punishment, house arrest and a ban on attending sports, cultural and other social events. Equally important is the discussion of the Probation and Mediation Service, its anchorage in the Czech legal order and the rights and obligations of the Probation and Mediation..