A sentencing judge is not required to expressly use the phrase 'moral culpability' or refer to 'Bugmy principles' by name, provided that a fair reading of the sentencing remarks as a whole demonstrates that the offender's deprived background was taken into account in accordance with proper principle. Childhood deprivation may point in more than one direction: it may ameliorate moral culpability while simultaneously exacerbating the importance of protecting the community. An ex tempore sentencing judgment should not be subjected to overly critical textual analysis.
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