UK Inquiry Tracker

Public opinion and understanding of sentencing

Justice Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 7 Jun 2022 Closed: 30 May 2024 Parliament page

In this inquiry, the Justice Committee will examine the public’s understanding of the current approach to sentencing in England and Wales. It will investigate how the public access information on sentencing and barriers to improving public awareness on how sentencing works. The inquiry will also consider public opinion on sentencing, … Read more

12 Recommendations

19 Conclusions

1 Report

2 Oral sessions

1 Letter

2 Events

Activity timeline 5 events

18 Jan
2024

Report published

Second Special Report - Public opinion and understanding of sentencing: Government and Sentencing Council responses to the Committee’s Tent…

25 Oct
2023

Report published

Tenth Report - Public opinion and understanding of sentencing

31 Jan
2023

Correspondence

Letter from Rt Hon Edward Argar MP, Minister of State for Justice, dated 24 January 2023, on follow up from 13 December evidence session

13 Dec
2022

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

29 Nov
2022

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions

13 Dec 2022

View on parliament.uk

Claire Fielder · Ministry of Justice Lord Justice William Davis · The Sentencing Council Rt Hon Edward Argar MP · Ministry of Justice Steve Wade · Sentencing Council for England and Wales

29 Nov 2022

View on parliament.uk

Bishop James Jones KBE · Independent Commission into the Experience of Victims and Long-term Prisoners Mark Day · Independent Commission into the Experience of Victims and Long-term Prisoners Professor Julian Roberts · Sentencing Academy Professor Mike Hough · School of Law, Birkbeck, University of London

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Tenth Report - Public opinion and understanding of sentencing	HC 305	25 Oct 2023	31	Response document linked

Recommendations & Conclusions

31 results

1 Conclusion

Tenth Report - Public opinion and …

Public lacks understanding of institutional roles and government accountability in sentencing.

Beyond the role of the courts in imposing a sentence, the public does not have a good understanding of the role played by different state institutions in sentencing. That is unsurprising because the role played by government, Parliament, the Sentencing … Read more

Ministry of Justice

Public opinion and understanding of sentencing

Activity timeline 5 events

Oral evidence sessions 2 sessions

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Recommendations & Conclusions

Public lacks understanding of institutional roles and government accountability in sentencing.

Explore simplification of sentencing terminology with the Sentencing Council and judiciary.

Public unawareness of sentencing trends undermines informed debate and policy decisions.

Improve public legal education on sentencing through diverse educational programmes and resources.

Review MoJ sentencing statistical releases for public accessibility, analysis, and relevance.

Provide independent analysis on sentencing trends to inform public debate and policy.

Significant gap in accessible public information on specific sentencing trends.

Explore using the Common Platform to produce accessible sentencing data for the public.

Ensure statutory duty to publish sentencing information in individual courts is fulfilled.

Broadcasting of sentencing remarks reinforces need for up-to-date statistical information.

Amend Victims’ Code to provide victims with free access to sentencing remarks.

Amend Victims’ Code to ensure tailored information on sentencing and ULS scheme.

Provide offenders, including children, with comprehensive information on sentencing and pre-sentence reports.

Public opinion research on sentencing requires rigorous, specific methodology to avoid flaws.

Adopt structured deliberative engagement exercises to gather public views on sentencing policy.

Review statutory purposes of sentencing to emphasise justice for victims and families.

Public polling suggests support for increased severity of custodial sentences for specific offences.

Current sentencing policy proposals lack independent scrutiny of their impact on prison resources.

Establish an independent advisory panel to review sentencing policy and proportionality.

Public engagement with Sentencing Council consultations remains limited due to resource constraints.

Empower the Sentencing Council to increase public engagement on draft guidelines using online tools.

Prioritise reducing sentencing complexity and improve open justice to build public confidence.

Address public perceptions of sentencing severity and understand public expectations to maintain confidence.

Conduct a review of sentencing terminology to improve public understanding of life sentences.

Consider implementing a press judges model to proactively disseminate information on sentencing judgments.

Promote and disseminate the latest sentencing data and analysis to the media.

Provide additional resources to the Sentencing Council to expand its communications work.

Public debate on sentencing is currently stuck in a dysfunctional and reactive cycle.

Improving public discourse on sentencing is crucial for greater understanding and consensus.

Genuine and sustained gaps exist between sentencing policy and public opinion.

Actively engage public on sentencing policy using structured methods, regular polling, and independent evaluation.

Correspondence 1 letter