The seminar exploring perspectives on sentencing, now a biennial event, was opened by The Lady Chief Justice, the Sentencing Council’s President, and its Chairman, Lord Justice William Davis.
By Dr Shamim Quadir (Senior Communications Officer), Published
On Friday 10 January, leading experts in the field of sentencing gathered to explore important and current sentencing-related issues at a seminar jointly hosted by the The City Law School's Legal Practice Hub, the Sentencing Council, and the Sentencing Academy.
The seminar, now a biennial event, was opened by The Lady Chief Justice, The Right Honourable the Baroness Carr, who is also the Council’s President; and its Chairman, Lord Justice William Davis. In a series of presentations and discussion, panellists and delegates examined a range of topical issues in sentencing.
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A highlight of the day was a presentation from the Rt Hon David Gauke, Chairman of the Independent Sentencing Review and former Justice Secretary, who gave delegates an insight into his perspective on the Review and its priorities.
Questions about sentence inflation and its principal drivers, one of the Review’s key concerns, were explored in a joint session with former Council member Prof Julian Roberts KC (Hon), Executive Director of the Sentencing Academy; Rob Allen, independent researcher and co-founder of Justice and Prisons; and Ollie Simpson, Policy Adviser from the Office of the Sentencing Council.
The impact of sentencing on victims was discussed by Council members Her Honour Judge Amanda Rippon and Johanna Robinson, National Adviser to the Welsh Government on Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence, and Dr Jay Gormley, Criminal Law and Justice Researcher from the University of Glasgow.
Dr Gormley also gave a talk about effectiveness in sentencing. Drawing on two literature reviews he has conducted on behalf of the Council, he looked at what the evidence suggests is working in reducing reoffending and what offenders, the general public, victims and sentencers think effectiveness means.
The final session of the day saw Professor Peter Hungerford-Welch of The City Law School and Trustee of Sentencing Academy, and Steve Wade, Head of the Office of the Sentencing Council, consider the five statutory purposes of sentencing and ask how are the five purposes prioritised and to what extent do the public know about – and accept – them?
Closing the seminar, Steve Wade said:
Professor Peter Hungerford-Welch said:
Read the report
Read the report on the seminar, published on the Sentencing Council’s website.