indeterminate sentencing

a punishment in which the judge mandates confinement of an offender over a time range (e.g., between 5 and 10 years) rather than a fixed period (e.g., 7 years). This practice allows greater discretion of the parole board to establish the specific time of release.

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Psychology term of the day

January 31st 2025

somatosensory system

the parts of the nervous system that serve perception of touch, vibration, pain, temperature, and position (see somatosense). Nerve fibers from receptors for these senses enter the dorsal roots of the spinal cord and ascend mainly through tracts in the dorsal columns to the ventroposterior nuclei of the thalamus, from which they are relayed (directly or indirectly) to the somatosensory areas of the parietal cortex. Also called somatic sensory system.