Responses to the consultation paper Making Sentencing Clearer
08 Oct 2007
The paper asked for views on a range of sentencing issues which provoked eighty responses from the likes of the judiciary, magistracy, criminal justice professionals, academics and the voluntary sector.
Click on the link to the right to download a summary of the responses.
The consultation paper was borne out of the July 2006 paper 'Rebalancing the Criminal Justice System in favour of the law-abiding majority'. The consultation period ran for three months from 9 November 2006 and asked for replies to questions on seven important sentencing issues.
You can download the questions in full by clicking on the link to the right to download the original consultation document. In summary, the issues on which views were sought were:
- What more could be done to promote the use of community sentences as an alternative to short custodial sentences?
- How could determinate sentences be expressed so that the public better understand them?
- How should the tariffs for indeterminate sentences be calculated and expressed by judges?
- Should it be possible for some determinate sentenced prisoners to be held beyond the automatic halfway release point where, in exceptional circumstances, they pose a risk to the public?
- Should offender managers be given the power to deal with breach of a community order without going back to court?
- Should there be less use of pre-sentence reports and community orders for low level offences by agreement with courts, and legislation to make community orders unavailable as a penalty for certain non-imprisonable offences?
- What information should be provided to courts on costs and effectiveness of sentences?
The consultation period closed on 9 January 2007.