Home Office responds to draft guidelines on domestic violence and breach of a protective order
07 Dec 2006
In April this year, the Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC) - an independent body comprising members of the judiciary, police, legal professions and those with substantial experience of promoting the interests of victims - published draft guidelines for judges dealing with cases where offenders are found guilty of breach of a protective order or of an offence involving domestic violence.
Baroness Scotland responded to the draft guideline for the Government on 9 November. Her letter was agreed with the Lord Chancellor and Attorney General. The response broadly accepts the proposed guidelines but makes suggestions for changes to the text particularly on the question of when an offender whose offence might merit a short custodial term might nevertheless receive a suspended sentence or community order. The spirit of these changes has been accepted in the definitive guideline also published today by the Sentencing Guidelines Council.