Judicial Sentencing Commission Bill 2013

Public bill · Private Member · Introduced

The proposal would establish a Judicial Sentencing Commission made up of judges and non-judicial experts to research sentencing and create guidelines for issues such as sentence ranges, guilty pleas, suspended or combined sentences, fines, and the seriousness of offences. Courts would generally have to consider the relevant guidelines, while retaining discretion to depart from them where justice requires; the Commission would also assess likely effects on prisons, probation and youth services, and monitor the guidelines’ operation. This is intended to make sentencing more transparent and consistent without removing judicial independence.

Formal long title

Bill entitled an Act to promote greater transparency and consistency in judicial sentencing, whilst maintaining the independence of the judiciary, to establish a Judicial Sentencing Commission, to promote a clear, fair and consistent approach to judicial sentencing, to produce analysis and research on sentencing, and to promote public confidence in judicial sentencing

Last updated 12 April 2018