The Sentencing Academy held a roundtable to launch two groundbreaking reports on public opinion and sentencing at City Law School on 16 September 2024. Professor Peter Hungerford-Welch, one of our trustees, hosted the event and we would like to express our gratitude to Peter and City Law School.
Professor Kathryn Hollingsworth, University of Sheffield, started the event by presenting key findings from the study of ‘Children’s Knowledge and Opinion of Sentencing’. This survey is the first quantitative research into 10 to 17-year-olds’ knowledge and opinion of sentencing, despite children of this age having reached the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
Professor Julian Roberts, the Sentencing Academy’s Director of Research, then introduced highlights from the second study which considered ‘Public Knowledge and Opinion on Imprisonment’. The prisons research is important and timely as it comes in the context of an acute crisis in prison places that has led to an emergency measure of having to allow a large proportion of prisoners out early.
The presentations were followed by a wide-ranging discussion of the findings and the policy implications. The launch attracted a range of stakeholders, demonstrating the interest in our work. Delegates welcomed both reports. There was a clear view that both studies added to our understanding of public understanding and opinions of sentencing and imprisonment. It was felt by some attendees that some of the findings from the children’s survey required further exploration through qualitative research as some of the results were difficult to explain.
The variety of professional backgrounds amongst the attendees enriched the event greatly. Most of the discussion focused on how a lack of public knowledge affects penal policy. Two key themes emerged. First, participants considered the reasons why public knowledge is often limited. Secondly, the audience debated how this lack of knowledge could be remedied.
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, closed the event by commenting on how public perceptions can directly and indirectly impact sentencing policy. Charlie Taylor offered a uniquely valuable perspective on both reports having served as Chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales from 2017 until his appointment as HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in 2020.
Both reports will shortly be available on the Sentencing Academy’s website.
