About us
The Sentencing Council (SC) for England and Wales promotes greater consistency in sentencing while maintaining the independence of the judiciary. The Council produces guidelines on sentencing for the judiciary and aims to increase public understanding of sentencing.
The Sentencing Council for England and Wales has been set up by part four of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to promote greater transparency and consistency in sentencing, whilst maintaining the independence of the judiciary.
The Sentencing Council is an independent, non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Justice and replaces the Sentencing Guidelines Council and the Sentencing Advisory Panel.
The Sentencing Council for England and Wales will:
promote a clear, fair and consistent approach to sentencing; produce analysis and research on sentencing; and work to improve public confidence in sentencing. The Council will fulfil the following functions contained in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009:
prepare sentencing guidelines; publish the resource implications in respect of the guidelines it drafts and issues; monitor the operation and effect of its sentencing guidelines and draw conclusions; prepare a resource assessment to accompany new guidelines; promote awareness of sentencing and sentencing practice; and publish an annual report that includes the effect of sentencing and non sentencing practices. The primary role of the Council is to issue guidelines on sentencing which the courts must follow unless it is in the interest of justice not to do so.
Functions
The Sentencing Council has responsibility for:
developing sentencing guidelines and monitoring their use; assessing the impact of guidelines on sentencing practice. It may also be required to consider the impact of policy and legislative proposals relating to sentencing, when requested by the Government; and promoting awareness amongst the public regarding the realities of sentencing and publishing information regarding sentencing practice in Magistrates’ and Crown courts. Additional functions
In addition to the functions above, the Council must:
consider the impact of sentencing decisions on victims; monitor the application of the guidelines, better to predict the effect of them; and play a greater part in promoting understanding of, and increasing public confidence in, sentencing and the criminal justice system. Appointments to the Council
Lord Justice Leveson, a Court of Appeal judge was appointed Chairman of the Sentencing Council in April 2010, along with 13 other appointments. All appointments were made by the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice.