The Sentencing Advisory Panel began consultation on the reduction in sentence given to defendants who pleaded guilty. It asked a number of questions about why this happened, when a reduction should be given, and how much it should be.
Source: Reduction in Sentence for a Guilty Plea, Sentencing Advisory Panel (020 7035 5158)
Links: Consultation paper | SAP press release
Date: 2003-Nov
Campaigners published a ten-point plan for reducing the use of prison sentences. It called for targets for reducing the number of women prisoners (especially those with dependent children), offenders with mental illness, and drug users. It also said that community sentences needed to work better, be more widely available, and resourced on a scale to match the problems they sought to solve.
Source: Tackling Crime in the Community: Proposals for action, Rethinking Crime & Punishment (020 7297 4700)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2003-Oct
The government announced the national roll-out of an 'enhanced community punishment' scheme a development of the existing community punishment order. It said the new scheme would have a greater focus on rehabilitating offenders, without diminishing the punishment part of rigorously supervised work for local good causes. The new scheme would focus on addressing anti-social attitudes, poor thinking skills, and poor employment skills.
Source: Press release 28 October 2003, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Home Office press release
Date: 2003-Oct
The government announced that the Attorney General s power to challenge unduly lenient sentences would be extended to include certain racially and religiously aggravated offences, with effect from 13 October 2003. Cases could be referred to the Court of Appeal for review where it was felt that a tougher sentence was merited.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 11 September 2003, column 29WS, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Press release 11 September 2003, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Hansard | Home Office press release
Date: 2003-Sep
The probation service inspectorate expressed concern about 'sentencing drift' (increasingly tougher penalties for similar offences). It said that if the national probation service were to be enabled to target its resources on higher-risk offenders and, in particular, supervise persistent offenders more intensively, then it would almost certainly have to shed some other tasks.
Source: 2002/2003 Annual Report, Her Majesty s Inspectorate of Probation/Home Office (020 7273 4599)
Links: Report (pdf) | Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jul
A study found two principal causes for the increase in the prison population between 1991 and 2001: sentencers were imposing longer prison sentences for serious crimes, and they were more likely to imprison offenders who previously would have received a community penalty or even a fine. The increase was not linked to a rise in crime.
Source: Mike Hough, Jessica Jacobson and Andrew Millie, The Decision to Imprison: Sentencing and the prison population, Prison Reform Trust (020 7251 5070)
Links: Summary (pdf) | PRT press release
Date: 2003-Jun
The government proposed detailed principles (for inclusion in the Criminal Justice Bill) governing prison sentences for murderers. Parliament would (for the first time) determine a framework for judges to determine how long an offender should spend in prison before being considered for release on licence. Whole life (with no possibility of early release on parole) would be the starting point for adult murderers in respect of: multiple murders that showed a high degree of premeditation, involved abduction of the victim prior to the killing or are sexual or sadistic; murder of a child following abduction or that involving sexual or sadistic conduct; terrorist murder; and cases where the offender had been previously convicted of murder. Campaigners attacked the proposals, saying that they could result in a 50 per cent increase in the number of life prisoners.
Source: Press release 7.5.03, Home Office (0870 000 1585) | Press release 7.5.03, Howard League for Penal Reform (020 7249 7373)
Links: HO press release | Howard League press release
Date: 2003-May
The government announced detailed plans for a new body - the Sentencing Guidelines Council - which for the first time would set guidelines for all offences. The Council would include members drawn from the police, probation and prison services and victims of crime, as well as the legal profession. All courts would be required to take the guidelines into account and give reasons for departing from them. The existing Sentencing Advisory Panel would continue, but would tender its advice to the Council. The government said the new Council would aim to produce 'a more robust and comprehensive set of guidelines for all courts, enabling them to approach a case from a common starting point'.
Source: Press release 9.5.03, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: HO press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-May
The Lord Chief Justice said that jail terms of a year or less did not help rehabilitate offenders, and that more offenders should be given community sentences.
Source: Speech by Lord Chief Justice, 16.4.03, Lord Chancellor s Department (020 7210 8500)
Links: Text of speech
Date: 2003-Apr
The sentencing advisory body said that sentences for robbery (particularly street crime) were too severe, and that more offenders should be given community punishments.
Source: Sentencing Guidelines for Robbery: Consultation paper, Sentencing Advisory Panel (020 7035 5158)
Links: Consultation paper (pdf) | Press release | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Apr
A committee of the Scottish Parliament said that short-term prison sentences offer only limited opportunities for rehabilitation, and that community alternatives to custody should be actively promoted and resourced for minor offences where a longer sentence is clearly inappropriate.
Source: Inquiry into Alternatives to Custody, Third Report 2003, SP Paper 826, Scottish Parliament Justice 1 Committee, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Report
Date: 2003-Mar
The chief inspector of probation argued that court fines should be linked to an offender's income, and that benefit claimants should have fines deducted at source. He said this would help to improve the effectiveness of fines, and reduce the number of prison sentences.
Source: Rod Morgan (HM Chief Inspector of Probation for England and Wales) in evidence to the House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, 11.2.03
Links: Uncorrected evidence | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Feb
The Lord Chief Justice issued a statement in response to criticism of guidelines on the sentencing of domestic burglars (issued by him in December 2002). He denied that the courts are more concerned with the offenders than their victims, and he also denied that the guidelines suggested that all first or second time burglars should be given a community sentence.
Source: Press release 14.1.03, Lord Chancellor s Department (020 7210 8500)
Links: Press release | Guidelines | Guardian report
Date: 2003-Jan