PREPARING FOR PAROLE What type of cases do the Parole Board consider? The Secretary of State is required by law to refer certain cases to the Parole Board. The purpose of this is to enable the Parole Board to review the detention of that prisoner and decide whether they are safe to be released. The…
The sentencing regime in the magistrates’ court is notoriously complex and about to change again following a government U-Turn. In May 2022, the government allowed magistrates to imprison an adult for up to 12 months for a single either-way offence; the previous maximum for a single offence was 6 months. This change was designed to…
IPP sentences were introduced to prevent serious offenders being released when still a danger to the public. They were scrapped in 2012, but nearly 3000 people remain in prison under the legislation, with almost half of these having been recalled to prison after earlier being released. The Justice Committee said in a report published in…
Draft sentencing guidelines for sentencing retailers including large organisations and individual shop owners convicted of selling knives to children in England and Wales were published for consultation today (1 June 2022) by the Sentencing Council. There are two guidelines – one for sentencing organisations and one for sentencing individuals – which will apply to offenders…
Sentencing for Drugs Offences New sentencing guidelines for some drugs offences will come in to force on 1 April 2021 and will apply to all cases sentenced on or after that date. The update is to reflect modern drug offending and new guidelines for offences created by the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 to bring clarity…
