Considering object encapsulation, should getters return an immutable property?

Question

When a getter returns a property, such as returning a List of other related objects, should that list and it\'s objects be immutable to prevent code outside of

Answer 1

Depends on the context, really. But generally, yes, one should write as defensive code as possible (returning array copies, returning readonly wrappers around collections etc.). In any case, it should be clearly documented.