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Select Committee · Justice Committee

Public opinion and understanding of sentencing

Status: Closed Opened: 7 Jun 2022 Closed: 30 May 2024 12 recommendations 19 conclusions 1 report

In this inquiry, the Justice Committee will examine the public’s understanding of the current approach to sentencing in England and Wales. It will investigate how the public access information on sentencing and barriers to improving public awareness on how sentencing works. The inquiry will also consider public opinion on sentencing, including the extent to which …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Tenth Report - Public opinion and understanding of sentenci… HC 305 25 Oct 2023 31 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

3 items
1 Conclusion Tenth Report - Public opinion and under… Not Addressed

Public lacks understanding of institutional roles and government accountability in sentencing.

Beyond the role of the courts in imposing a sentence, the public does not have a good understanding of the role played by different state institutions in sentencing. That is unsurprising because the role played by government, Parliament, the Sentencing Council and the judiciary in sentencing involves a delicate balance …

Government response. The government reiterates its commitment to the principle of open justice and describes the shared responsibilities among the MoJ, judiciary, and HMCTS, but does not propose specific actions to address the identified public understanding and accountability gap.
Ministry of Justice
4 Recommendation Tenth Report - Public opinion and under… Not Addressed

Improve public legal education on sentencing through diverse educational programmes and resources.

There needs to be a step-change in the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney General’s Office and the Sentencing Council’s efforts on public legal education. HMCTS should develop a programme which enables secondary school pupils to be able to visit magistrates’ courts and Crown Courts to find out about the criminal …

Government response. The government highlights existing public education initiatives such as TV broadcasting of sentencing remarks but does not commit to the specific new programmes, curriculum changes, or website creation proposed, instead deferring to the Sentencing Council's independence for some aspects.
Ministry of Justice
10 Conclusion Tenth Report - Public opinion and under… Not Addressed

Broadcasting of sentencing remarks reinforces need for up-to-date statistical information.

The broadcasting of sentencing remarks represents a potential game-changer for public understanding of sentencing in England and Wales. However, it also reinforces the need for up-to-date statistical information on sentencing practice and trends so that the sentencing remarks that are being broadcast can be understood in their proper context.

Government response. The government describes its existing initiative to broadcast sentencing remarks in Crown Courts and its purpose in increasing public understanding, but it does not address the committee's identified need for up-to-date statistical information to contextualise these broadcasts.
Ministry of Justice

Correspondence

1 letter
DateDirectionTitle
31 Jan 2023 To cttee Letter from Rt Hon Edward Argar MP, Minister of State for Justice, dated 24 Jan…