Revised Consultation Guideline on Reduction in Sentence for a Guilty Plea
22 Jan 2007
The draft guideline should be considered in conjunction with the advice of the Sentencing Advisory Panel (also published today) which sets out the background to the review, the issues identified and the approach adopted. The Panel concluded that little change is needed to the guideline in most respects; the issues and arguments considered are set out fully in the advice and the consultation paper that preceded it.
The Council has accepted almost all of the Panel's recommendations, the most important of which are detailed in the Foreword to the consultation guideline.
Notes to Editors:
Consultation closes on 14 March 2007.
The consultation guideline is available on the SGC website (www.sentencing-guidelines.gov.uk) along with:
• a copy of a covering letter being sent to consultees; and
• advice on the subject to the Council from the Sentencing Advisory Panel.
Printed copies of the consultation guideline, the covering letter and the advice of the Sentencing Advisory Panel may be obtained from: the Sentencing Guidelines Secretariat, 4th Floor, 8-10 Great George Street, London SW1P 3AE.
About the Council
The Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC) was set up in 2004 in order to frame guidelines to assist courts in England and Wales dealing with criminal cases.
Created by statute, the SGC and the Sentencing Advisory Panel are independent non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Home Office and the Department for Constitutional Affairs. They share a joint Secretariat.
The Council is chaired by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, with seven other members from the judiciary and four members who between them bring experience of policing, criminal prosecution, criminal defence, and the interests of victims of crime. Judicial members are appointed by the Lord Chief Justice: non-judicial members by the Home Secretary.
The other members of the Council are: Sir Igor Judge (Deputy Chairman); Lord Justice David Latham; Mr Justice Christopher Pitchford; HH Judge Peter Beaumont; HH Judge Michael Mettyear; Judge Timothy Workman; Malathy Sitaram JP; Anthony Edwards (Solicitor); Ken Macdonald QC (Director of Public Prosecutions); Chief Constable Peter Neyroud; and Teresa Reynolds (interests of victims).
Meetings of the Council are also attended by Christine Stewart, the Director of Offender, Law and Sentencing Policy in the National Offender Management Service, and by the Chairman of the Sentencing Advisory Panel, Professor Martin Wasik.
The Sentencing Advisory Panel
The Sentencing Advisory Panel is an independent advisory and consultative body constituted under section 169 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 which established the Sentencing Guidelines Council to take responsibility for issuing sentencing guidelines.
The Panel submits its advice to the Council. The Panel offers advice on general sentencing principles, sentencing of specific offences as well as allocation (the choice of court venue – magistrates' court or the Crown Court).
Chaired by Professor Martin Wasik the Panel has 14 members. Details of current membership can be found at: www.sentencing-guidelines.gov.uk/about/sap/