Recommendation 30

It is also important that Government and Parliament understand where there may be genuine and sustained gaps between sentencing policy and public opinion. Whilst more difficult to measure and more subjective, whether an offender is suitably punished is an important factor when considering the effectiveness of sentencing policy. Those gaps can be used to inform the development of sentencing policy. However, it is important to stress that sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the judiciary. Judges make their decisions based on the statutory framework set by Parliament, and the structure dictated by sentencing guidelines.