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.
Do not retain this copy. Only the online version of a guideline is guaranteed to be up to date.
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.
How can we help you?
-
Judges & criminal justice professionals
guidelines and other publications, consultations, data, analysis, youth sentencing and more
-
Members of the public
sentencing and guidelines explained, information for victims, frequently asked questions, news and more
-
Members of the media
news, press releases, sentencing and guidelines explained, Council members, FAQs and more
-
Researchers and academics
research, data, analysis, trends, statistics, guidelines and publications, our work and more
Latest from the Sentencing Council
Notice for all magistrates and district judges: online data collection in magistrates’ courts, 23 April to 30 September
8 May 2019Between 23 April and 30 September 2019, the Sentencing Council is asking magistrates and district judges to fill out an Read More
Sentencing offenders with mental health conditions or disorders – consultation launched on providing additional information in sentencing guidelines
9 April 2019The Sentencing Council has launched a consultation on its proposed guideline on sentencing offenders with mental health conditions or disorders. Read More
New non-judicial member appointed to the Council
4 April 2019Diana Fawcett has been appointed as a non-judicial member of the Sentencing Council with specific responsibility for promoting the welfare Read More