Key trends in the use of the principal sentences, 2009-2019
We have published the first publication in our new series of statistical bulletins. The bulletin examines the proportionate use of the principal sentences (fines, community orders, suspended sentence orders and immediate custody). Read the full report here
June 2021 Newsletter
The June 2021 edition of our newsletter can be viewed here.
Ethnicity And Custodial Sentencing
Julian V. Roberts and Jonathan Bild Are sentencing outcomes different for ethnic minority defendants? Which ethnic groups attract the harshest sentences? Over the past 30 years a number of official reports have addressed the role of race and ethnicity in criminal justice decision-making. Although several studies have focused on sentencing, to date, no review […]
Ethnicity and Custodial Sentencing: June 2021
By Julian V. Roberts and Jonathan Bild • Over the past 30 years a number of official reports have demonstrated differences in overall sentencing outcomes between different ethnic groups. However, many of these reports do not control for legallyrelevant case characteristics, such as previous criminal records and whether or not a guilty plea has […]
May 2021 Newsletter
The May 2021 edition of our newsletter can be viewed here.
April 2021 Newsletter
The April 2021 edition of our newsletter can be viewed here.
March 2021 Newsletter
The March 2021 edition of our newsletter can be viewed here.
Community Orders
By Eoin Guilfoyle Magistrates and judges have a range of custodial and non-custodial options to choose from when sentencing an individual convicted of an offence in England and Wales. The custodial options are either various forms of immediate imprisonment or a Suspended Sentence Order (technically a custodial sentence served in the community on […]
Community Orders: March 2021
By Dr Eoin Guilfoyle • The Community Order (CO) is one of the non-custodial sentencing options available to magistrates and judges in England and Wales. It allows magistrates and judges to choose between 15 requirements, combining them if needs be, when sentencing a person. The CO can fulfil any of the purposes of sentencing. […]
Response to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill
On 9 March 2021, the Ministry of Justice published the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which will introduce many of the sentencing reforms proposed in last September’s White Paper, A Smarter Approach to Sentencing. The central aims of this Bill are to cut crime, build safer communities and restore public confidence in the […]
Out Of Court Disposals: February 2021
By Cerys Gibson • Out of court disposals (OOCDs) have long been viewed by advocates to be an efficient and effective response to criminal behaviour, in particular in the case of low-level offending by first time offenders. • In most police force areas in England and Wales there are currently six different OOCDs […]
Out Of Court Disposals
By Cerys Gibson This report describes the current status of adult out of court disposals1 in England and Wales and draws on a review of relevant research over the period 2010-2020. It focuses on the efficiency and effectiveness of the system of out of court disposals in reducing reoffending and improving victim satisfaction in […]
