Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 15
15
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 81
Adopt structured deliberative engagement exercises to gather public views on sentencing policy.
Recommendation
Given the potential importance of public opinion in influencing sentencing policy, the Government should consider adopting a structured engagement plan to gather information on the public’s views on sentencing. Whilst we recognise the value of public polling exercises, we recommend caution be exercised in relying exclusively on the findings of ad hoc polls as an evidence base for sentencing policy decisions. The MoJ should conduct regular, structured, deliberative engagement exercises with members of the public as part of its policy development process. The Sentencing Council should also consider whether it could use structured deliberative engagement exercises as part of its public engagement work and as part of its consultations on draft guidelines, including a full range of offending scenarios, such as violent and sexual offending, if relevant.
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges the pivotal role of public opinion and states it is continually exploring ways to enhance existing engagement processes and increase public awareness of involvement avenues, but does not commit to a specific structured engagement plan or regular deliberative exercises.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Paragraph Reference:
81
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government · verbatim extract
Acknowledged
45. As referenced in our evidence to the Committee for this inquiry there are several mechanisms by which Ministers use the views of victims, stakeholders and the wider public to help them make decisions and develop sentencing policy. Some of these mechanisms include manifesto commitments; the views of MPs, representing their constituents; victim-focused campaigns; consultations; and via e-petitions on parliament.uk.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗