Sentencing Guidelines in England and Wales: an evolutionary approach

Published on: 10 July 2008

The Sentencing Commission Working Group set up by the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice in December 2007 has issued its final report.

The Working Group was chaired by Lord Justice Gage and made up of 15 members including lawyers, academics, judges, criminal justice professionals and others with experience in the field. It was asked to consider the advantages, disadvantages and feasibility of a structured sentencing framework and sentencing commission.

The Working Group recommendations include:

• the creation of an enhanced Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC) combining the current SGC and the Sentencing Advisory Panel in one body
• the collection of more data on sentencing practice including undertaking a national sentencing survey
• placing a duty on the SGC to estimate the effect of its guidelines in terms of the prison population and other correctional resources and provide an overview of all the factors that impact on the prison population and alert the government to significant developments
• obliging the government, when introducing a Bill or launching a new policy, to invite the SGC to assess its impact on correctional resources.

• Sentencing Guidelines in England and Wales: an evolutionary approach [PDF 0.40mb, 45 pages]
  In December 2007 the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice asked Lord Justice Gage to chair a Working Group to examine the advantages, disadvantages and feasibility of a structured sentencing framework and permanent sentencing commission.
• Crown Court Sentencing Survey [PDF 0.32mb, 33 pages]
  A survey commissioned by the Sentencing Commission Working Group to explore the feasibility and practicalities of capturing information on factors that influence sentence outcomes.
• Sentencing Commission Working Group consultation: summary of responses [PDF 0.05mb, 11 pages]

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• Page last updated on 29 August 2008