Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Deferred
Paragraph: 65
Amend Victims’ Code to ensure tailored information on sentencing and ULS scheme.
Recommendation
The Victims’ Code sets out that victims of crime are entitled to be given information about the outcome of the case and any appeals. The Government should ensure that victims of crime and bereaved families receive tailored information about sentencing during the court process. The Government should amend the Victims’ Code to make clear that victims be entitled to ready access to information about how sentences are determined for offences relevant to the victim’s case, including average sentence lengths. When a sentence is handed down, victims should have ready access to information about how the sentence works. The Government should ensure that where they are 58 Public opinion and understanding of sentencing eligible, victims of crime and bereaved families should automatically be referred to accurate and clear information about the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme in a timely fashion. The information should make clear the deadline for making an application under the scheme. These changes should be made before the Victims and Prisoners Bill receives Royal Assent.
Government Response Summary
The government notes existing provisions but commits only to considering changes to the Victims’ Code regarding the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme during a public consultation after the Victims and Prisoners Bill receives Royal Assent, deferring the requested amendments and timeline.
Paragraph Reference:
65
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
34. As noted by the Justice Select Committee, the Victims’ Code currently sets out the information that victims and bereaved families are to be provided with following an offender’s conviction under Right 9. This details the entitlement for victims to be told about the sentence the offender has received and information about the meaning and effect of that sentence by the Witness Care Unit (WCU). This includes the provision of information about the Unduly Lenient Sentencing (ULS) Scheme where appropriate. 35. Where there are questions from a victim that the WCU are unable to answer, victims are entitled to be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for further, more specific information about their case. Bereaved families are eligible for enhanced entitlements under the CPS’s Bereaved Families Scheme and are entitled to a meeting with the CPS after the offender’s conviction to provide a thorough explanation of what this means. 36. We recognise the importance of clear and timely information being given about the ULS Scheme, particularly given the time limits that apply to referrals being made. Once the Victims and Prisoners Bill has received Royal Assent, the MoJ will be publicly consulting on an updated Victims’ Code. As part of that consultation, we will consider the information in the Code itself on the ULS Scheme to ensure it is as clear as possible. 37. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) clearly advertise the scheme on GOV.UK. According to the AGO, the number of referrals from members of the public has increased, suggesting that awareness of the Scheme has been improving. 38. There are also other avenues for victims to access information about what they can expect from the criminal justice process, and through which they can navigate to specific parts of the process that they are interested in getting more detail on.