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The Sentencing Council for England and Wales promotes greater consistency in sentencing, whilst maintaining the independence of the judiciary. The Council produces guidelines on sentencing for the judiciary and criminal justice professionals and aims to increase public understanding of sentencing.

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How offenders are sentenced in England and Wales

For an overview of how offenders are sentenced, take a look at this short video which gives the basics on what kinds of sentence there are and how judges and magistrates decide what sentence to give.

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Latest from the Sentencing Council

Burglary sentencing guideline assessment published

13 July 2017

The Council has published an assessment of its burglary sentencing guideline which came into force in January 2012. It follows Read More

Manslaughter – consultation launched on sentencing guideline

4 July 2017

The Sentencing Council has launched a consultation on its proposed guidelines on sentencing manslaughter. Find out more about the consultation Read More

Child cruelty – consultation launched on sentencing guideline

13 June 2017

The Sentencing Council has launched a consultation on its proposed guidelines on sentencing child cruelty. Find out more about the Read More

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